Garnet Rose: Another Side
by Ventusblade
Summary: Follow the original story of RWBY through the eyes of Ruby Rose's twin brother, Garnet Rose. Expect slight to moderate changes to the story and dark undertones that turn pitch black then back again. This was inspired by The Inner Hollow's "White Knight" and KSLCross' "Of Another D'Arc". Please review. Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. It is the property of Monty Oum and Roosterteeth.
1. Enter: Garnet Rose

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. It belongs to Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. In addition, the cover picture for this story is from lie-ren on tumblr, I DON'T OWN IT. Now, on to the story.

* * *

"From Dust man was created and to Dust man will return at the hands of the creatures of Grimm. Or this would be the case if not for the brave hunters and huntresses protecting our way of life."

I remember reading those words as a kid, marveling at the protectors mentioned. From then on I decided to train to become a hunter. Still I never imagined I'd be on my way to the most renowned training academy for hunters and huntresses.

My name is Garnet Rose, fifteen years old, hunter in training. This is my story.

* * *

"Garnet wake up." commands a small, high pitched voice that I recognize instantly. I groan, ignoring the voice.

Suddenly I hear a more mature, womanly voice yell "Grimm!"

I jolt awake, reaching for anything to use as a weapon. My hand grips a shoe. I jump up readying my "weapon", preparing to hurl the "shoe of one thousand deaths" at the nearest enemy. In the back of my sleep hazed mind I scold myself for naming a shoe while I scan the area trying to get my bearings. I'm on a dust plane in a battle stance gripping a shoe like it's a deadly sword, while my two sisters are laughing their heads off.

I slump back against the wall of the plane, but not before chucking the shoe at my twin sister's head. Of course she dodges it and it hits some blond haired guy in the back of the head. Oops. I'll have to apologize later. I turn back to my sisters, glaring at them with my "I will kill you" glare.

"Have I ever mentioned that I hate both of you?" I growl at Ruby and Yang.

Ruby, being my twin sister, looks almost exactly like me, except for being a girl of course. Still I'm a little taller than she is, she's 5'5" and I'm 5'6" and a half. Ruby's outfit consists of a black top, a mainly black "battle skirt" as she calls it with red trim, a belt with extra ammo clips and a silver rose insignia attached to the front, black stockings and boots that come up almost to her knees, and her signature red hooded cloak, and of course her weapon, Crescent Rose, strapped to the back of her belt. I, on the other hand, usually wear a blood red t-shirt, a black hoodie with a symbol that looks like a wilted rose, a pair of black shorts with red cuffs that end slightly below my knees, an unassuming grey belt, and a pair of red and black skate shoes. To finish off the look, I have my two weapons, Red Raven and Gale Force, strapped to either side of my belt. Finally, we both have black hair with natural red highlights.

Ruby giggles at my annoyance. "Sorry Garnet, but we're almost at Beacon." She squeals, unable to contain her excitement.

_Come on sis, act your age not you shoe size. _"Hey keep it down a bit. People are starting to glance over here, and I don't want to draw any attention." I mumbled, pulling up my hood. "We were moved ahead by two years. We're already going to have massive targets on our backs without you causing a scene."

"Quit being so dramatic, Garnet! You two won't be targeted by other students who are jealous of you. Besides, even if you are I'm sure you two can handle yourselves in a fight"

"Thank you for that Yang. That definitely didn't make me more nervous than I already was." Yang smiled upon hearing that, totally unaware of my sarcastic tone.

Yang is Ruby's and my older sister by two years. She has deep blue eyes, flowing blonde hair that she is overly protective of (trust me. I once accidently cut off a lock while we were sparing. Afterward I wasn't able to walk for three days.) Yang also loves style. She wears an orange scarf around her neck, a brown low-cut coat that shows her midriff, a yellow undershirt with a flame insignia, black shorts (that I think are a bit too short) along with a belt with pouches attached to hold extra ammo, brown knee-high boots with orange socks, and a blue bandana ties above her left boot. Finishing the look are her weapons, yellow gauntlets, one on each wrist.

Yang elbowed me in the gut gently. Unfortunately she a weak grasp on the meaning of the word gently. Air rushed out of my lungs and I stumbled back a few paces, looking at Yang with my "what the hell was that for?" look. Yang just grinned apologetically. Mean while Ruby was looking out the window and jumping up and down like a five year old who just had three cups of coffee.

"We'reherewe'reherewe'rehere!" Ruby chanted making every student on the plane stare at her. I pulled my hood up even more.

I sighed. _Just another day living with Ruby,_ I thought to myself as the planes doors opened.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading. This is my first story so I would really like some feedback of any kind. How you like the OC so far, what would you like to see happen that's different from the cannon story, how the action scenes are (in future chapters), what color Garnet's underwear should be, whatever. Like I said any type of feedback is good feedback. So Read, Review, Enjoy. Rinse and repeat.

-Roxasblade


	2. A Beacon of Light

I walked out of the plane and my jaw immediately hit the ground. The campus in front of me looked more like a castle out of one of Ruby's stories than a school. I quickly glanced around the area. There were groups of students huddled together. _At least they're not bugging me_, I grumbled in my mind. The only thing that was really worrying me was that I'd lost track of Ruby.

"Oh crap. Where the hell did she go?" My mind immediately began thinking of what type of trouble Ruby could have gotten into in the three seconds we'd been separated. I mean a few days ago this girl had gone out to buy a magazine and ended up running into a wanted criminal and beating up his goons.

Luckily Ruby was with Yang. I walked up to hear Ruby fawning over some kid's fire sword. I pulled out my own fire sword, Red Raven, and walked over, clearing my throat to get their attention.

"Ooh. A fire sword, cool." I said sarcastically. "And what might this be?" I gestured to Red Raven. "You never fawn over my weapon like that." I bopped Ruby in the head lightly with the butt of my katana.

Allow me to explain my weapons. I have a pair of twin katanas, Red Raven and Gale Force. Both are wickedly sharp steel blades infused with dust. Red Raven is infused with red dust, giving it fire attributes. It can create and shoot miniature fires, which are great for making hot dogs. My other katana, Gale Force, is infused with yellow dust, giving it electric attributes. It can shoot miniature thunderbolts. Both blades, if they shoot too much of their element, overheat, becoming normal katanas, and, in extreme cases can even back fire. The later is extremely pain as I learned sparing with Yang, receiving a few permanent burn marks on my right hand.

Ruby looked down at the ground, knowing how fatherly I am when it comes to my weapons. "You know I love Red Raven as much I love Crescent Rose," she said mecha-shifting her sniper-scythe and stroking it affectionately. "But it's nice to see new weapons. It's like meeting new people, just better!" Ruby finished happily. I shook my head, sheathed my blade, and walked away. I looked back to see Yang running off with a couple of guys, leaving Ruby by herself. I frowned thinking of those guys hitting on my sister. I almost took out Red Raven to pick them off, but I resisted the urge.

While I was thinking about the best way to shoot those guys, I accidentally walked into someone's back. I merely lost my balance but the poor lad face planted, kissing the pavement.

"Sorry about that man. I didn't see you…" at that moment he got up and turned around. "Aren't you the guy I hit in the face with the 'shoe of a thousand deaths'?" _Smooth move idiot._

"Um, yes? That was you? And why did you name your shoe?" The blonde haired kid replied in a highly confused manor. He was wearing a black hoodie with an orange hood, a white breastplate and shoulder gaurds, brown fingerless gloves, two belts in an X shape, and a pair of normal blue jeans. On one of his belts was what looked like an average sheathed sword. _Cool, another swordsman. Finally, someone to spar with._

"Yes that was me. I'm really sorry. I was trying to hit my sister. And I have no idea why I named that shoe." I didn't know why I was being so nice to this stranger but I couldn't help it. The guy had some type of niceness aura around him. "I'm Garnet, by the way."

"Well nice to meet you. The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. The ladies love it." Jaune smiled, finishing his little tangent with a ridiculous flourish.

"…Do they?"

"They will. Erm, I hope they will at least." We continued walking through the park like area of the campus. "So what're those two swords strapped to your belt?"

"Well, these are my two babies, Red Raven and Gale Force. They're twin katanas infused with dust. Red is infused with red dust, like the name suggests. That gives it fire attributes. Gale is infused with yellow dust giving it electric attributes." I looked over at Jaune who had a blank look on his face. "Basically they're sharp sticks of steel that can shoot fire and electricity."

"Oh. That's awesome!" I swelled with pride. "Hey do you think that girl needs any help? She looks a bit down, literally."

I looked to where Jaune was motioning and groaned. There was Ruby lying on the pavement looking beaten, like a kicked puppy. _What the hell? This is what happens when I leave you alone for a few minutes?_

Jaune and I made our way to Ruby. Juane reached out offering Ruby his hand. "Need a hand?" She grabbed his hand with a look on her face that I didn't really like.

"Thank you. Some one could take some lessons on being a gentleman from you." Ruby glanced over at me while I looked away. "Speaking of a certain someone, where were you!" _And here it comes. _"You and Yang abandoned me. Then I tripped on some crabby girl's luggage, and then I exploded. There was some fire, electricity, and I think some ice. STOP GRINNING IT'S NOT FUNNY!" I hadn't notice that I was grinning but I immediately stopped. Besides it's easier to not smile than dodge Ruby's shots from Crescent Rose.

"While that sounds hilari… I mean awful, we should probably head over to orientation in the main hall. By the way this is Jaune." I motioned toward Jaune.

"Hi. The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet rolls of the tongue. The ladies love it."

"…Do they?" Ruby asked. I started cracking up, but Jaune looked crestfallen.

"Again? I thought that was a good intro. Anyway, let's go like Garnet said."

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading. I hope you liked the chapter, because there's more to come. Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and repeat.

-Roxasblade


	3. Introducing Ozping

AN: I do not own Ozpin's speech. It was written by the writers of RWBY since I suck a speeches.

* * *

Ruby, Jaune and I walked into the main hall of Beacon. Ruby saw Yang and excused herself to go stand next to her. I decided to stick with Jaune.

As Ruby walked up to Yang some girl clad in white walked up to them. Ruby promptly leapt into Yang's arms, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. All I could make out was the girl in white making fun of Jaune, calling him "tall, blonde, and scraggly."

I nudged Jaune. "Hey, watch this." I quietly pulled Gale Force out of its scabbard so you could just see the steel blade. I pushed the almost invisible trigger on the grip of my sword and shot a small bolt of lightning, barely more than a static shock, at the girl in white. She screeched and jumped, while I smiled at my handiwork. Jaune and I silently fist bumped.

"So about your swords." Jaune started.

"What about 'em?"

"Did you make them?"

I was actually surprised that he asked that. "Well, of course. All students at Signal Academy forge their own weapons. Didn't you make your sword?"

"Actually my sword and shield are hand-me-downs. My great-great grandfather used them in the war." Jaune pulled out his sword and mehca-shifted the sheath into a shield. He had a sad expression on his face when he looked at the weapons in his hands.

I was about to ask him about that when a man, Beacon's headmaster Ozpin, walked onto the stage in the front of the room. In one hand he held a walking stick and in the other was a mug of coffee. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"I'll…keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge—to hone your craft and acquire new skills—and when you have finished you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose—direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but you time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." And with that Ozpin ended his speech.

Professor Goodwitch took the stage. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready."

A soon as I entered the ballroom I claimed a spot on the floor near the back wall and laid out my gear. A few minutes later Jaune claimed a spot near me. I grabbed a pair of pajamas, a pair of pants with graphics of wilted roses, but no shirt since who bothers with that and rushed to the changing room to beat the crowd. I came back to my sleeping bag, a few girls staring at me. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm the most buff guy that ever walked the earth, but I'm pretty fit. Even so I felt fairy uncomfortable with people staring at me. Then I saw Jaune.

"Um dude? What's up with the pj's and slippers?" Jaune was wearing a pair a plain blue pants with a blue shirt that was too small in the arms, but the weirdest part was the blue bunny slippers. He looked that a really tall six year old getting ready for a sleep over.

"What's wrong with my pajamas? Well what's with the flowers? Not very manly."

"They're wilted roses for your information. It's sort of like my personal symbol. Ruby's symbol is a rose, which I thought was pretty stupid." I ducked as a pillow shaped like a beowolf's head was launched at me. I heard Yang laughing from across the room and grinned. "But I love my sister so I made my symbol similar. Only mine has some meaning. It represents my commitment to my twin. 'If she goes so do I." I punched Jaune in the shoulder. "And if you ever tell Ruby I said those things I will cut off your tongue with your own sword!"

"Ok. No problem. Can I tell those girls next to Ruby?" Jaune grinned. I started toward his gear. "I was just kidding! Lighten up."

"I'm going over to my sisters."

"Sister**_S_**? Do you think one of them would…"

"No." I cut him off, and continued walking.

Ruby and Yang were talking to the girl in white from before and a girl dressed in black wearing a bow that looked strangely like a pair of cat ears.

"Hey lil' bro! Where've you been?" Yang began, crushing my ribs in a massive bear hug.

"With…the…sane people." I managed to choke out. Not a smart move. She squeezed tighter before letting me sink to the floor. I saw some guys shoot me jealous looks, Yang must be pretty popular already, but I glared at them until they looked away.

"Garnet, this is Weiss Schnee and the other girl in black with the bow is Blake Belladonna." Ruby motioned to the two girls. I nodded a simple hello. "Quit being antisocial!"

"Schnee, that's the massive dust company right? Are you a dust user?" Weiss nodded. _Not terribly friendly is she? Well, I'm not one to talk. Might as well try to make a good impression._ "Cool another dust user. Wanna try sparring later?"

Weiss looked surprised. "You use dust? How is someone so simple looking supposed to understand the finer points of dust usage?" I looked at Yang begging her to let me get my katanas and kick this girl's ass. I was denied.

"Hey Weiss remember that little shock you got during orientation? Yeah that was me. Get off your damn high horse." With that I stamped away to my sleeping bag and tried to sleep.

(Yang POV)

I watched my younger brother stalk off toward his stuff, a deep scowl on his face. I would have let him beat up Weiss, but I didn't want him to get expelled. That would've just made Ruby sad.

I looked back to the group in front of me. "So, since that went so well, what about you Blake? I noticed that book you were reading. Ruby likes reading a lot too. Maybe you two could talk!" I pushed Ruby forward.

I gingerly walked to Garnet, trying to avoid stepping on all the hot guys. _No, focus Yang. Little brother now, flirting later._

I finally reached Garnet, who was pretending to be asleep. "I know you're still awake. You were always terrible at faking." He sat up, his left hand grasping Red Raven, which was still in its scabbard. He always had at least one of his swords with him when he was upset or angry. Even I don't completely understand it.

"Yang," Garnet said before I could even start. "I'm over what Weiss said, so please don't try to get involved. I can't go running to my older sister when something happens, so please just let me try to deal with this. If I can't deal with my own issues how can I help Ruby when she has something going on?"

I smiled in spite of the fact that Garnet was obviously still upset. _I guess my little brother's finally growing up. 'Bout time._ "Ok Garnet. I'll let you handle this one, just try not to be on Weiss' team. You would end up killing each other."

"W-what do you mean 'team'?" Garnet looked incredibly worried. _For the love of dust!_

"In Beacon each student is paired up with a couple of other students. Those people form a team and are together for the entirety of their four years at Beacon." Just then a fellow blonde walked over and sat down on a sleeping bag next to Garnet. "Speaking of other students, who's this?"

"Hello my fellow blonde. The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it!"

I just looked at the strange kid for a second. "…Do they?" Garnet almost died laughing while Jaune mumbled something around the lines of "What's wrong with his family?"

"Is something wrong?" I asked. I was getting a little worried about Garnet's oxygen intake since he was laughing loud enough to attract the entire world's Grimm population.

Garnet waited for a minute until he could breath again. "A family united. That makes all three of us. Pay up Jaune. You owe me one of your homemade medical salves." Garnet and Jaune grinned at each other, the incident with Weiss completely forgotten.

_Seems like you actually made a friend on you first day. Good going Garnet._ Assured that my brother was in good hands, I walked back over to my stuff to get a good night of sleep for whatever Ozpin is going to throw at us tomorrow.

* * *

AN: I'm sorry for not having any action yet. There's some action in the next chapter when everyone's in the Emerald Forest. Also PLEASE WRITE ME SOME REVIEWS! This is my first ever story so I want some feedback. Thanks and tune in for chapter 4. Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and repeat.

-Roxasblade


	4. A Walk Through the Forest of Death

(Garnet POV)

I woke up and immediately grabbed a clean set of clothes from my bag and changed. I checked my watch. Six forty-five, plenty of time to warm up before breakfast at eight. I laced up my skate shoes and grabbed my katanas before heading out of the ballroom.

_Damn it's cold here, _I thought as I walked out of the building, keeping an eye out for an open area. I stopped in an area behind the main building of the school. The area was mostly clear except for a cliff that was a few hundred feet away and a forest below said cliff. I started stretching my stiff muscles, getting ready for a quick jog before I started my real exercise. Near the end of my jog I heard some leaves rustle behind me and turned to see Jaune in work out gear, basically a normal pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

"Garnet? What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask the same question, but from the looks of things it's pretty obvious. Plan on getting warmed up for whatever Ozpin has planned?"

"Yup. Same with you?"

Jaune nodded. "Might as well warm up together."

I nodded my agreement and we continued the pace that I had set before Jaune interrupted. "So about that salve you owe me…" I grinned a Jaune who glared at me with a peeved expression. He put on a burst of speed to get ahead of me then turned around, running backwards, so that we could talk more easily. "Dude, I'm gonna laugh when you trip." Jaune ignored my comment.

"There's no way you three didn't rehearse that. I don't care if you are siblings, no one can be that in sync with two other people. Whatever I'll make the stupid salve. Just a little heads up, my salves are only able to heal surface wounds. You know, cuts, scratches, bruises, stuff like that."

We stopped running, transitioning to push ups. "Still, that's pretty impressive. Where'd you learn how to make that?"

"I grew up in a really small village out in the middle of no where. There was about a dozen people living in my village, the majority of them were kids. My parents and I were the only other people, so I had to learn how to make stuff for myself." Jaune got up off the ground grabbing a small towel he had brought. I had been paying such close attention to his story that I didn't realize how much my arms were burning. I tried to stretch them to get rid of the burning sensation.

"Well I don't know about you but I'm starving. Wanna race to the dining hall? If I win you give me part of you breakfast." And with that Jaune took off.

"Wha? Oh screw you Jaune!" I quickly grabbed my swords and started sprinting.

Jaune and I were seated at an almost empty table. Jaune had a satisfied smile on his face while he happily munched on what would have been my final pancake.

"You only won because you had a head start." Jaune barely even looked up from the food.

"Stop complaining. I won, end of story. Now I'm just going to enjoy this pancake."

"Hello there!" Cried an energetic and bubbly voice right next to Jaune's ear.

Jaune immediately began chocking on his pancake. _Karma, you are a cruel mistress._ Fortunately a hand began pounding Jaune on the back, preventing suffocation by pancake.

"Nora you really shouldn't surprise people like that." Said a male voice with a clearly scolding tone. I looked up at the duo standing behind Jaune. There was an orange haired girl, Nora I assumed, wearing a white shirt with a small heart shaped cut out on the chest with high-collared torso armor and a pink skirt. She had blue, sparkling eyes, overflowing with energy and a smile that reflected that energy. I got a very clear realization seeing the energy that this girl was no doubt holding in.

Do not giver her caffeine.

Ever.

The boy with her seemed more subdued compared to Nora. He was a little taller than me with jet black hair bound in a long ponytail that reached down his back with a single stripe of bright pink on part of his bangs in front of his eyes. His eyes matched the stripe in his hair and held a calm and collected look. He wore an elaborate dark green robe-looking overcoat with golden stripes and ties for decoration. He also wore a black undershirt, judging from the long black sleeves extending out from the boy's overcoat. Finally, he wore a pair of dull white pants.

With Jaune one again able to breath, I turned to introduce Jaune and myself. "Hey, the name's Garnet, and the guy who almost suffocated is Jaune."

"Ren." He replied simply, joining us at the table. _Man of many words._

I'm Nora!" the girl exclaimed happily before letting lose a torrent of words. Nora spoke so rapidly that my eyes began glazing over. I was able to pick up something about teams and Ren. The rest was lost on me.

I glanced at Ren who was eating, ignoring Nora's verbal diarrhea. Guess he's just used to it.

I politely excused myself from the conversation, if you could even classify it as one, and made my way to the locker where I had stored my gear. On the way, I ran into Ruby who was heading to the locker room as well. We had just reached the lockers when Ruby started talking.

"So Garnet, ready for Ozpin's test?" Ruby asked but didn't give me a change to answer before she continued talking. "I can't wait! No more 'getting to know you' stuff. Now I get to let my baby do the talking." She took Crescent Rose out of her locker and began stroking it lovingly.

"And you were the one telling me to stop being antisocial." I muttered as I opened my locker, reaching in to take out my swords as well as my MP3 player and my pair of black over ear headphones. I put the headphones around my neck before glancing at Ruby. Ruby was looking at the headphones around my neck, smirking slightly.

"No one likes a smart ass." I grumbled, pulling Ruby's hood over her eyes. Just then Yang walked over. She was still in the process of putting on her weapon, Ember Cilica, a pair of gauntlets that shoot shotgun shells.

"Yo G, be nice to your sister." Yang scolded. _What am I, five? _"Anyway, there was an announcement telling all first year students to head to the cliff behind the school."

"I know where that is. I was there this morning. C'mon, I'll show you where it is." And with that I lead the way.

(Not much later)

All the first year students were stood atop small ceramic platforms looking out at the forest beneath the cliff. Professor Ozpin stood in front of us preparing to speak, with Professor Goodwitch at his side.

"The task I have assigned all of you is very simple," Ozpin began. "You will enter the Emerald Forest below, collect an artifact from the forest shrine, and return to this cliff. The Emerald Forest is inhabited by Grimm. As such, you will have to fight with the intent to kill, otherwise you will die." _Damn, he doesn't mess about._

Ozpin continued. "There have been many rumors about teams. Allow me to put those to rest. You will be assigned teams today. You will spend the rest of your four years at Beacon with this team." Ruby whimpered slightly.

"The first person you make eye contact with upon entering the forest will be your partner. Now prepare your landing strategy."

_What the hell is a landing strategy_? Just then the platform furthest to the left flung the student standing atop it into the air toward the forest._ Oh that makes more sense now._

I placed my headphones over my ear and put on a playlist of smooth jazz and lounge. Just because I look like a punk doesn't mean I can't listen to smooth jazz. A lounge version of "People=Shit" by Slipknot came on. _Not great lyrics but a nice beat. This'll do._

I pulled my blades from their sheathes and got into a crouch. I felt the platform under me stiffen. I gave Jaune, who was standing on the platform to my right, a reassuring grin. "See you in the forest." And then I was flying through the air, enjoying the feeling while Richard Cheese was singing like Sinatra in my headphones.

As I got near a large tree, I dug my blades into the bark at an angle to slow my descent while simultaneously sliding around the tree in a downward spiral. As soon as my feet felt solid ground I rolled to break my fall instead of my ankles.

I look around as a jazzy Latin version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 started playing. The good news was that I didn't have a partner yet. The bad news was that I landed in front of three beowolves. _Well, at least I'll get some exercise, _I thought while removing my headphones.

The first beowolf let loose a blood curdling growl and charged, lashing out atmy chest with its razor sharp claws. I rolled under its arm to avoid being shredded to ribbons, and quickly jumped to my feet, gripping Red Raven in a backhand grip in my right hand. I thrust backward, stabbing the first beowolf in the back, incapacitating it. The beast fell to the ground with a strangled cry.

The second monster roared in outrage, rushing forward to grab my arm in its mouth. I move left, Gale Force up to block the beowolf's sharp teeth. The beowolf pushed against my sword trying to break my defense. I weakened my guard causing the monster to fall forward as I whipped Red Raven, still in a backhand grip, across my body in a sideswipe aimed at the monster's neck. My blow connected, decapitating the beowolf. However my victory was short lived.

The last beowolf came out of a blind spot to the left of my line of vision, slashing at my flank. Its razor sharp claws raked my side, ripping my hoodie and shirt, cutting into my flesh. I howled in pain but managed to sloppily roll backward, landing unsteadily on my feet.

I lunged forward, my left sword ready to block incoming attacks while my right sword was aimed at the beowolf's heart. I pressed the trigger on Red Raven's grip, shooting fire to stun the monster. I continued my desperate attack, ramming my sword into my enemies' chest, killing it.

I slumped to the ground, teeth gritted in pain. My side felt pretty badly injured, intense pain searing the area. I touched my burning flank. There was a decent amount of blood flowing out of the three claw shaped gashes, but I couldn't tell how deep they were. Suddenly I heard two sets of footsteps approaching from behind me. One was coming from my left and the other was coming from my right.

"Crap! I can't fight like this!" I hissed, spinning around. I quickly pointed my swords in the either direction, ready to shoot if the situation demanded it.

The sound of footsteps ceased and I came face to face with a girl dressed like an Amazon warrior with fiery red hair, pointing a rifle at my chest. On my other side was Jaune, his sword trained on my chest, holding his shield at the ready.

"Um… Hi." Jaune lowered his weapon, cautiously breaking the silence.

"Jaune!" the Amazon exclaimed. Seeing me as well, she asked a very reasonable question. "Does this make all three of us partners?"

"I guess so. So how're you doing Pyrrha?" Jaune direct the question to the girl. His voice sounded a little distant and I was getting dizzy. "Garnet are you ok?" Jaune asked nervously, worry evident in his voice. He was staring at my ripped hoodie that was now soaking with blood.

I responded by losing my grip on both of my swords and falling to the ground face first. I saw two pairs of legs rushing toward me. Then my vision went dark, and I passed out.

* * *

AN: Another chapter down. Next comes chapter 5. But first, I would really like some reviews so that I can improve aspects of the story and my writing. I'll give a prompt. "What are you opinions on the first action scene of Garnet Rose: Another Side?" If you liked it, great! If you didn't, tell me why so that I can improve future action scenes for your reading pleasure. Thank you all for reading!

-Roxasblade


	5. What's aura? No seriously What is it?

AN: Roxasblade here. Thank you all if you are still reading my story. First of all, updates will star to slow in the near future. I've only been able to write so much since I'm on break, but school starts up soon. I'll post whenever I can, but I apologize if that's not as often as right now (you know, about 1 or two chapters a day). Finally, since I haven't gotten a single review or PM, I'm just going to continue writing the way I want to. If you don't like that GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK PLEASE! Thanks.

Now on to the story.

* * *

(Jaune POV)

So Pyrrha, how're you doing?" I asked Pyrrha, who was wearing what I assumed is her usual outfit. Her long scarlet hair was tied in ponytail, held back by a bronze headband. Her armor was similar to that of an amazon from a fairytail. She wore a bronze colored chest piece and a short skirt with some type of cape attached to it. In addition to her breastplate she wore almost full-length armor ending right before her purple boots began. Finally she had an arm guard on her left forearm and was holding her weapon, a spear that can apparently mecha-shift into a rifle, in her right hand.

As Pyrrha was about to answer I noticed something was off with Garnet. He had a vacant look in his eyes and was gently swaying back and forth, obviously unsteady on his feet. Only then did I notice his sweatshirt, which had a claw shaped tear in it and the area near the tear was soaked with blood.

"Garnet are you ok?" I tried to stay calm. Freaking out wouldn't be any help to Garnet. Pyrrha seemed to notice Garnet's wound and gasped slightly.

_It's incredible that he's even standing._

As soon as the thought was complete, Garnet's swords slipped from his hands and he collapsed.

"Garnet!" I rushed forward, Pyrrha close behind. I reached Garnet in a matter of milliseconds and turned him over so he was facing up. His face was deathly pale.

I ripped off his hoodie and shirt to find three gashes on his side.

"How was he able to hold up his swords with those?" Pyrrha said, starring in horror.

I pulled a medical salve out of a pouch on my belt and started spreading it on Garnet's wound, using the entire bottle.

"Hey Pyrrha, I could use some help here! Take your cape thing and apply pressure to the wound. That should help stop the bleeding." She continued to stare at Garnet who was lying motionless on the ground. "Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha jumped into action. "Sorry. Right away."

Pyrrha and I managed to stop the bleeding, and Garnet's face was slowly regaining its color. However, I was still worried, though not just about Garnet's health.

I turned to Pyrrha. "What the hell are we supposed to do now? Brining Garnet with us would be a huge risk. He'd slow us down and be dead weight during a fight."

"Still he's our partner and we can't just leave him. We'll just have to take him with us. Jaune can you carry him while I take the lead?" Pyrrha asked casting a quick glance at Garnet.

"Please don't tell me he's bleeding again." I pleaded.

"No, he's fine. At least I think he's fine. I'm a little worried about why his aura didn't activate and heal him."

_And you've lost me._ "His what?"

"His aura. Aura is the manifestation of our soul," Pyrrha started. "It bears our burdens and shields our heart. Have you ever felt like you were being watched without knowing that someone was there?" Pyrrha asked.

I nodded remembering the many times that helped me back home. I cautiously picked up Garnet and we began walking.

"With practice our aura can be our shield. Everyone has it even animals. However the creatures of Grimm lack a soul, thus they do not have aura.

I nodded. _Makes sense so far._

By bearing your soul outward like a force, you can deflect harm and, in some cases, heal yourself. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for aura. Pyrrha stopped waling and turned to me. "Jaune close your eyes for a second."

"Uh, ok." I said lightly confused.

Pyrrha put her hand on my chest and began to speak but her voice sounded different. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

Pyrrha quieted and I opened my eyes. My body was wrapped in a glowing white light. I could feel power radiating from the light. "Cool. What was that you just did?"

"I unlocked you aura using my aura. It seems you have a lot of it." Pyrrha smiled at me, but her smile turned to a quizzical look. "Jaune, are you trying to give some of your aura to Garnet?"

I was equally confused now. "No. Why?"

"Because your aura is flowing into him."

I quickly and gently laid Garnet on the ground to see what was going on. I bent down to check on him. His eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright, smashing our heads together, which sent both of us backward.

Pyrrha came over to help me up. "Seems like he's awake." She just gave me a 'you think?' look. We walked over to where Garnet was lying, groaning slightly.

Garnet was holding both his injured side and acing head, but al least he was awake.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Define ok." Garnet replied weakly. "Are you referring to my side being shredded or the fact that I just smashed into your stupidly thick skull?"

"Meh, he's fine." I started walking away from the smartass but Pyrrha blocked my path. She apparently was not amused. She walked over to help Garnet up and support him.

"I don't think we were properly introduced before you passed out." Pyrrha said. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Garnet Rose." _And now he's turning into Ren._

We began walking in silence. I had to support Garnet on my shoulder while he stumbled along, cursing whenever he tripped. We heard a lot of words we didn't know existed, to say the least.

Pyrrha cleared he throat and broke the silence. "So Garnet, after you were injured why didn't your aura heal you?"

"Oh that. Sorry if that worried you," Garnet said with a completely straight face. "You see…"

"Wait a minute. I need to get something strait," I interrupted, giving Garnet a look telling him that he's insane. "You passed out, were bleeding profusely, and could've died, and you think that your aura thingy not activating was what worried us?" I shook my head. What type of thick headedness does Ruby put up with.

Garnet gave me a blank stare. "Yes," he said simply. "As I was saying, my aura has almost no medical applications. I can heal minor cuts and bruises, but my aura mainly is used to increase my offensive and general physical abilities. Well that and my semblance of course."

I was about to ask what the hell a semblance is but I became intrigued by a cave that we approached.

"Do you think the shrine could be in there? I mean nothing says 'shrine' like a dark creepy cave." I grinned at Garnet. Unfortunately I didn't get the reaction I wanted. Instead Garnet sat down on the ground, breathing heavily.

Pyrrha was inspecting some cave paintings on the outer part of cave. They looked like small stick figures running from a really big scorpion.

"I doubt that Jaune. I think we should leave this area alone."

We turned to Garnet, who had taken out his red sword and was shooting small blasts of fire into the cave.

"It's not dark anymore." He explained tiredly.

A loud screech echoed from within the cave. _Damn it Garnet! Your side was hurt not your brain!_ I grabbed Garnet and motioned to Pyrrha that we should follow her initial course of action and leave.

After running a few hundred feet, which was no small task thanks to my having to carry Garnet, our small group came across a large clearing with what looked like an altar in the center. There were small pedestals set around the circularly shaped altar. Many of them were empty but some held assorted chess pieces.

"I guess this is the forest shrine." I said, pointing out the obvious.

"Pyrrha smiled. "I guess it is." She scanned the area. Her gaze stopped to the right of the altar. "Looks we're not the only ones who are here." I followed her gaze and noticed Yang and a girl clad in black wearing a black bow, I remember her being introduced earlier as Blake. Yang spotted us and began charging our small group like an ursa.

I braced for impact but Yang charged past me. "Garrrrneeeet!" she cried, crushing her unfortunate younger brother in a hug.

Garnet's facial expression was a mixture of joy and extreme pain. I had two options. I could sit back and enjoy the show, or I could intervene and save Garnet from the possibility of an ironic death by loving sister.

* * *

AN 2: Sorry for the lack of action. I promise to return to the interesting stuff in chapter 6. If you've watched RWBY (as you probably have since you're still reading) you know what's coming. If not, keep reading! Thanks to all of you that have favorited and followed my humble work! Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and repeat.

PS. Did you catch the reference to Erza Scarlet from Fairytail?

-Roxasblade


	6. Beasts, blood, and a pissed off sister

Did someone order chapter 6 of Garnet Rose: Another Side? No? Oh well. Enjoy!

* * *

(Garnet POV)

"Yang, you might want to let go. Garnet's not really at a hundred percent." I heard Jaune's voice suggest, but it was doing that far away thing again.

No. I refuse to pass out again, especially from a simple hug.

"Sis, gonna pass out." I wheeze. Yang let go, allowing me to collapse to the floor cradling my side. _I really hope my wound didn't open up again. That would suck._

"Ok what happened to you? How'd you get hurt?" Yang demanded. She paused for a second before adding, "Was it at least a good fight?"

"Really Yang, that's what you're concerned about? What a caring sister. I was blind sided by a beowolf after killing its two friends. It managed to take a chunk out of my side, but I'm fine now." I paused slightly confused. "What's that noise?" I looked around for the source of the noise. It sounded like a high-pitched voice and it was getting closer.

Then something fell out of the sky and hit me head on in the side, knocking me to the ground. I felt an intense pain then everything started going dark. My last thought before passing out was "_seriously?"_

I opened my eyes slightly to see Ruby standing over me with a worried expression on her face.

"What'd I miss?" I groaned sitting up on the ground. "And what the hell just hit me?"

I looked around the clearing. A few more people had joined the party. Now Ruby, Weiss, Ren, and Nora were with us in the clearing. Each pair was holding a chess piece from the altar. Ren and Nora were holding holding a golden rook. Blake and Yang had a golden knight piece, as did Ruby and Weiss. Finally the remainder of my group held a golden rook.

"Does anyone know why a Death Stalker is coming right at us?" Blake asked in a calm voice, immediately getting everyone's attention.

A giant scorpion Grimm was indeed charging at us. As for why, I had a pretty good idea.

"And I'm an idiot," I grumbled, pulling out my swords. Beside me Jaune nodded in agreement. "Thanks buddy."

"What? I don't lie." Jaune said, still trying to get a laugh in the midst of danger.

I directed my attention to the Death Stalker and saw Ruby charging it alone. _What is wrong with that girl?_

She shot two rounds behind to increase momentum. Flying forward, Ruby swiped at the Death Stalker's face with the oversized scythe. The Death Stalker was unfazed, it simply knocked Ruby back with a heavily armored claw.

As if that wasn't bad enough, a Nevermore, a gigantic bird Grimm, flew overhead. It reared back and launched a volley of black feathers, letting lose an angry screech. The feathers impacted around Ruby, impaling her hooded cloak and trapping her.

Seeing helpless prey the Death Stalker advanced toward Ruby readying its deadly stinger to arc down on Ruby who was trying to free herself from the feather.

"Ruby, get out of there!" Yang screamed running forward.

"No!" I sent as much aura as I could mange into my legs and activated my semblance, a special ability stemming from my aura. I launched forward with blinding speed, leaving a trail of withered black rose petals in my wake.

With my swords raised in a defensive X over my head, I stood in front of Ruby ready to defend her from the monster before us.

I still wasn't at full strength due to my earlier injury, but I could at least take the hit instead of Ruby. I kept my vision trained on the deadly stinger preparing for the worst.

Nothing came.

Standing in front of Ruby and me was Weiss, her rapier embedded in the group. The large Grimm was encased in a layer of ice.

What do you know? She can actually back up all her big talk about dust.

"You are so immature," Weiss began directing a verbal tirade at Ruby. "And dimwitted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on you fighting style. "Weiss hesitated before continuing. "And I suppose I can be a bit… difficult, but if we're going to do this we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be… nicer." Weiss finished looking at Ruby expectantly.

"I'm not showing off. I want you to know I can do this." Ruby said in a voice that was almost pleading.

"You're fine." Weiss said walking back to the group.

Yang ran up and hugged both Ruby and me. Once she let us go Ruby turned on me. "Garnet are you ok?" Both of my sisters were now staring at me waiting for my response.

I didn't want to worry them so I went with Garnet Rose's plan A, deny everything. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

Ruby and Yang studied my face causing me to look down at the ground. "You're lying," Ruby decided. "I saw the rips in you clothes and the blood on your hoodie. I'm not going to let you play that off as nothing."

_Why must sisters be so perceptive?_

Jaune came to my rescue. "Guys? Sorry to interrupt, but that thing's coming back around." Jaune said referring to the Nevermore.

Ruby fixed me with the evil eye. "This is not over." She said, putting emphasis on the "not". She turned to the rest of the group. "Let's give that thing a moving target."

Our group began moving through the final stretch of forest before the cliff. In front of us stood a ruined tower across a stone bridge. The Nevermore appeared in the sky before us.

We broke off into pairs, taking cover behind separate pillars. Jaune, Pyrrha, and I stood behind one pillar. The Nevermore landed on the tower, roaring at us.

"Well this is just grand." Yang called out sarcastically. I was distracted by the sound of snapping branches from behind us. I turned to see a very angry Death Stalker coming our way.

"Go! Head for the bridge!" Jaune yelled and we all jumped into action.

The Nevermore rose from atop the tower, letting lose a barrage of feathers.

"Nora, distract it." Ren called to Nora as he sprinted forward.

Nora grinned like a kid in a candy shop and switched direction, running sideways across the field, hurdling a volley of feather as she went.

Nora pulled out her weapon. It looked like a grenade launcher.

Wait, a grenade launcher? Why would anyone give that girl something as destructive as a grenade launcher?

Nora laid down a continuous stream of cover fire, smashing the giant bird in the face. The Nevermore was forced to fall back, screeching in frustration.

Oh. That's why.

Weiss leapt in to prevent Nora from being hit in the back by the approaching Death Stalker. Ren and Blake deflected the scorpion's pincers in a flurry of strikes from the blades of their weapons, which looked like some type of small machine gun with a blade attached.

We finally reached the bridge but the Death Stalker was hot on our tail. Pyrrha dropped back, removing a shield from her back and shouldering her rifle. "I'll keep it busy."

The others reached Pyrrha and began battling the Death Stalker. I glanced to my left and my heart dropped. The Nevermore was headed right for the bridge's supports.

"It's going to ram the bridge!" I yelled putting on a burst of speed as the Nevermore destroyed part of the bridge, preventing us from reaching Pyrrha and the others.

"They need our help." Jaune said, frustration evident in his voice.

Immediately, I began sending aura to my legs and started to run toward the edge of the bridge. Mid stride I activated my semblance, giving me a burst of speed. The edge of the bridge was quickly approaching. Beneath was a seemingly bottomless chasm.

I jumped.

I flew through the air toward the Death Stalker and my allies. I reached out and grabbed the creature's tail. I hung off the tail to the left, noticing Ren on my right who was shooting the joint connecting the tail and stinger. _Good idea. _I pulled out my sword and together Ren and I cut off the pincer, embedding it in the Death Stalkers heavily armored head.

The creature bellowed in pain and flung Ren and I back toward a wall made of stone. Without thinking I dropped my weapon and grabbed Ren, putting myself in between him and the wall. In front of us, I saw Jaune standing next to Pyrrha, shield at the ready, and Nora in the air preparing to bring down a giant sledge hammer on the pincer embedded in the Death Stalker's head.

The wall was quickly approaching. Ren tried to break free of my grasp so he wouldn't crush me against the wall, but I refused to let go. I didn't want my ally getting hurt. _This is going to really hurt_.

Unfortunately I was right. I smashed into the wall, air rushing out of my lungs leaving me breathless. I released my grip on Ren and we both fell to the ground.

My attempt to protect Ren seemed to have been successful. Ren was dazed but he didn't seem seriously injured. I wasn't so lucky. As the result of my heroics I had smashed my head against the wall, momentarily blurring my vision. To make matter worse, it felt like my wound had reopened, seeing as my left side felt warm and sticky.

Ren stood up, brushing himself off. "Looks like Nora's last attack took care of the Death Stalker." He said while checking to make sure he wasn't hurt.

I sighed in relief. _Ok, time to get up._ I tried to stand up but fell back to the ground. _Not this crap again!_ Again I sent aura to my legs to strengthen them. All that accomplished was sending a bolt of hot pain through my body. I sighed and rolled onto my back, resigned to lying on the ground.

On the other side of the bridge Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were still battling the Nevermore. Yang was in the Nevermore's beak, forcing it to stay open with one arm while shooting round after round down its throat before jumping down onto the bridge below. The Nevermore barreled into the cliff face before landing on the roof of the building below. It bellowed in rage, preparing to take to the sky.

Weiss rushed forward, readying her rapier. A glyph appeared beneath her feet and she was lifted into the air toward the Nevermore. She thrust he weapon down into the building's roof causing ice to appear and trap the Nevermore. With the monster trapped, Weiss flipped backward and rushed back to where the others were.

Yang and Blake were on two parallel pillars. Blake threw her weapon to Yang, holding on to a black ribbon that was attached to it. They pulled the ribbon so that was held tight between the two pillars. Ruby jumped up, landing in front of the ribbon. Weiss held out her hand causing a glyph to appear and pull the ribbon with Ruby on it back like a slingshot. Weiss released and Ruby shot forward, activating her semblance, speed just like mine, leaving a trail of vibrant red rose petals.

Ruby caught the Nevermore by the neck with the blade of her scythe, landing on the cliff face. Glyphs appeared beneath her feet, keeping standing on the cliff face. She began running, dragging the Nevermore behind her, shooting to maintain her speed. She reached the top of the cliff, shooting once more, managing to decapitate the bird. Its limp body fell down the cliff.

I closed my eyes, relieved that my sisters were safe. I tried to ignore how weak I felt due to the amount of blood that was no doubt flowing out of my side. I heard people talking in worried tones around me. I felt a pair of hands touch my freshly opened wound and tried to calm myself with the fact that my friends were taking care of me.

* * *

I stood in the large group of students watching four male students be dubbed team Cardinal by Professor Ozpin on the stage in the front of the auditorium-like room.

On either side of me stood Ruby and Yang, supporting me and helping me to stand. I was still pretty beat up from the ordeal in the Emerald Forest despite everyone's effort to fix me up after the battle with the Death Stalker. Still I had insisted on coming to the assembly, which had taken a lot of time for me to convince Yang and Ruby to let me attend.

"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nicos, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and Garnet Rose." Professor Ozpin called for us to take our place on the stage. I leaned against Jaune, trying not to fall as we walked up onto the stage.

"The five of you retrieved the white rook pieces. While there are usually only four members to a team, we will make an exception. The five of you will form team Juniper." A giant JGNPR appeared on a monitor behind Ozpin, each of our pictures appearing below the letter of our name. _I guess there's a silent G in Juniper_, I thought, chuckling slightly. Ozpin glanced over at me before continuing. "Led by Jaune Arc."

"I'm the leader?" Jaune mumbled in shock. His arms went slack and Ren had to catch me before I fell over, eliciting a quiet laughter from the audience.

Next Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss took the stage.

Again, Ozpin spoke. "Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna, and Weiss Schnee. You four retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day on you will be known as team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."

Ruby grinned like a madwoman and Yang practically skipped over and enveloped Ruby in a bear hug. "I'm so proud of you!" Yang praised.

"Looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year." Ozpin commented as he exited the stage.

Ren turned to me smiling slightly. "So where are the beds? I'm exhausted."

I chuckled tiredly. "Ren, you just read my mind. Let's go."

Ruby appeared in front of me in a cloud of red rose petals. "No you don't! I told you earlier that our conversation about you getting hurt wasn't over. Now, I'm taking you to the medical ward." With that Ruby draped my arm around her shoulders to steady me and began to slowly lead me toward the med ward.

"So Ruby," I began. "Great job on being named team leader. I pretty sure I would've been named team leader if I hadn't almost died twice during the test." As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted saying them.

"You were that injured and you didn't go get any real medical treatment before now?!" Ruby was unable to remain calm and was now yelling at me, earning us a few stares from passing students.

"Um. Well, you see…" Yang walked by at the moment. "Yang, help."

"Sorry little brother, I'm with Ruby on this one. That was a pretty stupid move after all."

If Yang wasn't on my side, I was beyond help. No one else would be able to side with me against an upset Ruby. I sighed, resigned to my fate.

"At least I'll be able to get some sleep." I grumbled allow Ruby to lead me.

* * *

AN: Another chapter down. I can't believe this chapter broke 2,500 words. It just kinda flowed out of me. Hopefully that's a good thing. Well you guys should know the drill by now. Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and repeat. Thank you all for reading and I'll see you all when chapter 7 comes out!

Oh! One more thing. Dear guest who reviewed chapter 3, you have no idea how happy hearing you ask for "MOAR" made me. Domo arigato gozaimasu! Hope you enjoy the chapter.

-Roxasblade


	7. Never Sneak Out Of The Medical Ward

AN: Chapter 7 hot off the oven. There are probably a few mistakes, but it should still taste ok. Ok enough of that food analogy. On to the story!

* * *

(Ruby POV)

"You don't have to hold me. I can walk on my own." Garnet was still sore about me forcing him to go to the medical ward.

I continued walking, but turned to face my twin brother. "Ok then. Have it your way." I let go of his shoulder.

Garnet wasn't prepared for me to agree so readily and his reaction showed it. He tripped over his feet and fell, hitting the floor with a loud thump.

I'll admit, maybe that was a bit much. Still I think it was justified. Garnet will be less likely to argue with me now. "Impressive. Would you like help now?"

"Yes please," came the muffled voice from the floor.

The rest of the walk to the medical ward was uneventful. Once there, I plopped Garnet in a chair and explained what I knew about Garnet's wound to the nurse, which wasn't much. Garnet offered up most of the answers to what happened.

"I was attacked by three beowolves. I managed kill two of them, but the third one gave me some nasty gashes on my left side. My friends managed to stop the bleeding and bandage me up, but the wound reopened when I slammed against a wall. I think I lost a lot of blood."

"I'm going to need to see the injury," the nurse said.

Garnet shrugged out of his hoddie and shirt, revealing three very large gashes on his side. The nurse inspected them and reached a decision.

"You'll need stitches to close the wounds and some blood transfusions to replace all the blood you lost."

I glanced over at Garnet nervously, prepared to chase after him if he tried to run using his semblance. He hates needles.

To my surprise he just sighed. "I'm too tired to argue. Just get it over with quickly."

Ok, that's weird. _Who are you and what have you done with my brother?_

The nurse directed Garnet to a bed and ushered me out of the room. "Come back to check on him in the morning."

With that over and done with I headed over to the dinning hall for dinner. My team was seated at a table with Jaune's team. I grabbed a plate of food and sat down next to Yang.

"How is he?" Yang asked. Everyone turned to me expectantly.

"He's basically fine," I said telling them the good news first. "He does need a couple of things though."

"Like?" Jaune prompted. _Of course he's worried. Garnet's his teammate and the first friend he made after coming here._

"He needs some stitches and blood transfusions. He'll be all patched up by morning, so don't worry."

"He'll probably need some time to recover his strength as well." Ren added, absentmindedly munching on a baked potato.

"I know!" Nora exclaimed jumping out of her seat. "Lets bring him pancakes!"

"I hate to ask, but why?" Pyrrha had a confused look on her face. Actually all of us did. Except for Ren that is.

"You don't like pancakes?" Nora asked staring at Pyrrha.

"No. I… Never mind."

"Anyway," Blake said trying to move the conversation along. "We might as well head back to the dorm and get some sleep."

It turns out team RWBY's room and team JGNPR's room are right across the hall from each other. We bid each other good night and turned in for the night.

* * *

(Garnet POV)

I woke up feeling a lot better than I had the previous day. Sure I had three new big ugly scars, but I wasn't tired or sore anymore.

"Well you're good to go. You can leave once that girl that brought you here yesterday arrives. Please try to rest for a day or two. This is for you." And with that the nurse handed something that looked like a tablet and left the room.

"What the hell is this thing?" I muttered turning the tablet on. I saw a button that read 'map'. I selected it and looked for team JGNPR's room in the section of the map that showed the dorms. I left the room and followed the map.

I reached my dorm room, but the door was locked. I looked around for a way to unlock the door. All I had was the tablet so I tried waving it in front of the door. To my surprise the door unlocked. I quietly stepped into the room.

Everyone else on my team was still asleep, breathing quietly except for Nora who was muttering something about pancakes. I tiptoed to the only open bed and found my luggage, consisting of two suitcases and my beloved skateboard. I grinned seeing my board.

_The nurse said to rest. Rest means relax right? Skating is relaxing. _I put the tablet down on my bed and grabbed my board before quietly leaving the room.

In case you haven't guessed, my semblance is speed, which makes skating even more fun. I hurried out of the dorm building and made a beeline for the open paved area in front of the school.

It was still fairly early in the morning, so the area was completely empty. This gave me a perfect skate playground, full of stairs, benches, handrails, and other goodies. I laid my board on the ground and hopped on, pushing a few times to pick up speed.

I rolled up to a bench and kickflipped into a grind, smiling at the feeling of being able to move freely. I skated around, pulling off random tricks until I lost track of time.

My fun came to an abrupt end. I was in the middle of a heelflip when someone shot my board out from beneath me.

"What the hell was that for?" I turned in annoyance, ready to tell off whoever ruined my fun. My annoyance quickly turned to extreme fear. Standing there was Yang, a scowl on her face and a smoking gauntlet on her wrist.

I dove for my board so that I'd have something to defend with.

Yang walked up to me and I held up my board in case she decided to punch me. Yang simply knocked it away, but was merciful enough to leave it in one piece.

"WHERE WERE YOU!? We went to check on you at the medical ward, but you weren't there. Then we checked your dorm room, but you weren't there either and your team didn't know where you were. Do you have any idea how worried you had us!?" Yang was yelling at max volume. People were starting to stick their head out of their window to see what was going on below them.

I thought very carefully about my next move. One slip up could mean another couple of days in the med ward.

"Um… May I go see my team?" I asked sounding like a child asking their mom if they can have dessert.

Yang took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Yes, but I'm coming with you. To make sure you don't 'get lost' on the way." She said that last part with and irritated tone.

* * *

I knocked on the door of my dorm since it was locked and my tablet thing was inside.

Jaune was the one who opened the door. He saw Yang standing behind me as I entered the room.

"What, no hug for your mother?" Jaune teased. I responded by punching him in the arm. "Ow! I was just making a joke. See you later Yang." Jaune shut the door. Instantly Pyrrha appeared wearing an expression similar to the one Yang had when she found me. _Oh god. Not again._

"Why didn't you have your scroll with you?" Pyrrha demanded.

"You mean the tablet thing?" Pyrrha nodded, still scowling. "What's the big deal? It's a map and it opens the door."

"It lets us communicate. If you had it with you we could have gotten in touch with you."

_Oops. "_How was I supposed to know? I've been in the medical ward." Pyrrha pointed at my skateboard that was in my hand. "Um… Would you believe that I wasn't using it?"

"No. Get ready for class." Pyrrha threw me a pair of khaki slacks, a white dress shirt, a black blazer, and a tie.

I quickly changed into the clothes. I noticed my team sneaking glances at my new scars.

Ren came up to me. "Good to have you back."

I smiled. "Thanks Ren. So… Care to show me where class is? I haven't had much time to explore the school building."

Nora appeared next to me. "Sure thing buddy! We'll all go together." Nora put me in a headlock while everyone followed behind us.

Our first class was Grimm Studies taught by Professor Port. Professor Port is a larger gentleman with a very full white mustache. He's wearing an outfit similar to the school uniform I have on, and he's holding a battle axe/shotgun.

"The creatures of Grimm, monsters, demons. All these are names for our primary enemy. However I prefer to call them prey." Professor Port chuckled at his own joke. No one else did.

"You as huntsmen and huntresses are individuals sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. That reminds me of a story of a young and handsome individual. Me!" At this point I gave up trying to pay attention and just zoned out.

"The moral of the story," I heard Professor Port wrapping up his boring, self-indulgent tale. "Is that a true huntsman must be honorable, courageous, well educated, and wise. Who among you believe you possess these traits?"

_Eh, why not?_ I raised my hand, as did Weiss who was sitting in front of me.

Professor Port had a strange glimmer in his eye as he presented a cage containing some sort of Grimm. "Well then. Let's find out. Miss Schnee, Mr. Rose, please come to the front of the room."

Weiss and I obliged coming to stand in the large open area of the lecture hall. "Please draw your weapons." _Now this is my type of class._

"Weiss, do your best!" Ruby chanted.

"Ruby, I'm trying to concentrate," Weiss scolded in an agitated tone.

"Garnet, if you get hurt again I swear…" Yang didn't even need to finish the threat.

"Break its legs!" Nora suggested. _Nora you are amazing, but you scare me sometimes._

Professor Port cut off the lock keeping the cage shut and a boarbatusk raced out, charging at us.

"Weiss dodge left. I'll go right. Don't bother trying to block it." I tried to formulate a plan with Weiss.

"Fine." _Man, what's with the attitude?_

I dove, kicking the boarbatusk as I rolled. Weiss slashed at the monster but its tough skin protected it. I shot a combination of fire and electricity at the boar, only succeeding in making it angry. Weiss rushed forward aiming for the monster's face.

The boar angled its head catching Weiss rapier in its tusks.

"Show it who's boss!" Ruby cheered. _Damn it Ruby! Don't distract her!_

Weiss turned to yell at Ruby, and the monster saw its chance. Before I could intervene the monster ripped the weapon from Weiss' hands and pushed her back.

"Oh ho!" Professor Port cheered. "What will you do now without you weapon?"

"Look over here you stupid monster!" I rushed the monster that was focused on the weaponless Weiss. I unleashed a barrage of slashes increasing the speed of my blades with each stroke.

The boarbatusk roared and turned on me and charged, giving Weiss a chance to retrieve her weapon. Without having time to dodge the oncoming assault, I raised my blades in an x in front of me.

The monster rammed into my blades pushing with all its might. I felt myself slipping. _Come on Weiss. Any time now. _As if on cue I noticed Weiss in my peripheral vision. I kicked the boarbatusk in the chin causing it to reveal part of its vulnerable underbelly.

Weiss activated a glyph to hold our enemy still. She charged blade ready to plunge into the monster's underbelly. Her attack connected and the boarbatusk snarled in pain. Weiss backed off and lowered her weapon as the monster sank to the ground.

I was about to do the same when I noticed the boarbatusk getting up for a final desperate attack. I sent aura to my arm and legs, hurling Red Raven at the monster while rushing at it with my other blade.

Red Raven sunk into the Grimm's eye, causing it to screech and fall to the side. In the blink of an eye, my other blade was deep in its stomach. I held my blade there until I was sure the monster was dead. I collected my other blade and walked back to my seat, panting heavily.

"Bravo! It seems we are indeed in the presence of a true hunter in training. Class is dismissed."

* * *

We had a few other classes that day. One was General History taught by Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, who rushed around the classroom in a green blur, occasionally writing something on the white board. I couldn't catch most of what he was saying, but I took notes to the best of my ability.

During class I noticed Weiss casting annoyed glances at Ruby. I sighed. _Just another one of Ruby's messes to clean up. I'd better talk to Weiss._

Class was dismissed and Weiss rushed out of the room. I tried to politely push my way through the throng of students to follow Weiss. I found her staring at the sunset on a balcony on the upper level of the school.

"What do you want?" Weiss said icily.

"I just want to talk." I joined Weiss, leaning against the railing. I can see why she chose this spot. The sunset is awesome up here. I'll have to remember this spot. "I've lived with Ruby my whole life. I know she can be hard to deal with so let me help make it easier."

Weiss softened a bit. "I…" She paused looking at me apprehensively. "I think I should have been team leader instead of Ruby."

I sighed, sitting down on a bench behind us. "I'm not going to lie. Skill wise, you may be better than Ruby. She's impulsive, wild, childish, and just plain weird. Sorry ignore that last part. Still, there's no one more loyal and devoted to other than her." I paused to look Weiss in the eyes. "On the battle field are you prepared to give up your safety and possibly your life for your teammates?"

"Well…" Weiss began, but I cut her off.

"If you were in trouble, Ruby would go to hell and back to help you. She's done it for me far too many times." I thought about how to finish up my point. I glanced down at my wilted rose symbol on my belt. I showed it to Weiss. "This symbol represents my commitment to Ruby. If she's in trouble, I will be there to back her up. If she goes down, I won't be far behind. That is the type of commitment Ruby has to her allies, to you. Until you are that committed you shouldn't be team leader." I turned leaving Weiss in my wake, stunned.

I slid a hand over my personal symbol. _I promised to be there for Ruby no matter what after "that" happened. Now that she's leading a team she'll need me more than ever._

"Why is having a sister so exhausting?" I asked myself.

* * *

AN: What is "that"? Will Garnet actually have some development as a character? Find out next time on One Piece! Wait that's wrong. Whatever. Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and Repeat.

Now to address any reviews:

-Petrol Oil – First of all, thank you so much for giving me some constructive feedback. You have no idea how thankful I am. 1) I apologize for all the errors. I've been so excited for people to read my work that I post, read my work and find awful mistakes, then fix them (in theory) and post again. I'll switch up the order in the future. 2) There is a method to my madness. Meaning there are a few reasons why Garnet is not on team RWBY and I made team JGNPR (please excuse the stupid acronym). First I didn't want to be tempted to go overboard on sibling jokes. Personally I have two of them, so I have a never-ending supply of back sibling jokes. Second, I love Jaune and wanted him and Garnet to be bros. Third, this lets me have Garnet be more open about his sister. Like shown in this chapter.

Thank you all for reading! If you read all of that CONGRATS!

-Roxasblade


	8. How did that jerk even get into Beacon?

Ch. 8

* * *

AN: Here's chapter 8. Things are getting exciting, mostly because I finally planned out the next couple of major events. And here we go!

* * *

(Jaune POV)

I woke up early and looked around my dorm room at my team. Even though we'd been a team for a little more than a week, I still had a hard time believing that I'm supposed to lead all of these guys. The fact that one of my teammates and best friends already almost died didn't help much.

_Negativity be gone, _I thought, grabbing a towel and my uniform before heading into the bathroom for a quick shower.

I came back to find my team awake and getting ready for the day. Ren was cleaning his guns, Pyrrha was checking which classes have today, Nora was jumping up and down on Ren's bed, and Garnet was…

"Hey guy's, where's Garnet?" I asked.

"Garny went over to see Ruby," Nora informed me. I decided to ignore the "Garny" part. It's just easier that way.

"Ok we'll see him at class. Speaking of class, what do we have today, Pyrrha?"

"First up is General History with Dr. Oobleck." Pyrrha said while lacing up her boots.

"Ok then. Let's head out."

I sat in the front of the room with team RWBY behind me, and my team on either side. The Doctor was zipping around the room, explaining the Faunus War.

"Progress for the Faunus rights revolution, better known as the Faunus War, human kind was quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population in a small area outside of the three kingdoms, Menagerie." He zoomed to a map and pointed at a small island before continuing the lecture.

"Now, have any of you been discriminated against because of your Faunus heritage?"

A shy looking girl with a pair of rabbit ears sprouting from the top of her head raised her hand, a sad look on her face. Being from such a small village, I can't even begin to understand how people can treat each other so terribly. Especially since most of the kids in my village are orphan Faunus.

"Terrible, simply terrible. Remember students it is this kind of ignorance that breeds violence. I mean just look at what happened to the Light Fang. Now who can tell me what may theorist believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?"

Weiss raised her hand.

"Yes Miss Schnee?"

"The battle at Fort Castle." _Really Fort Castle? Was Fort Fort taken?_

"Precisely!" Professor Oobleck praised. "And who can tell me the advantage the Faunus forces had over General Lagoon's forces?"

A boy that I remember as the leader of Team Cardinal, Cardin Winchester, raised his hand. "Animals are easier to train than people?" He offered a smirk on his face. I couldn't believe the guy. Thankfully Pyrrha spoke up before I did.

"You're not the most opened minded of people are you, Cardin?"

"Give me my sword and I'll make him the most open person there is." I heard Garnet mutter beside me. I smiled, being on the same page as my team.

"What? You got a problem girlie?" Cardin jeered.

Pyrrha sighed in irritation. "No, I have the answer. Faunus have a type of night vision, that allowed them to attack Fort Castle while the troops within it were asleep."

That's true enough. That night vision sure is a pain when the little kids try to sneak into the kitchen late at night to eat cookies.

"Exactly my dear. Now class is dismissed. However I would like Mr. Winchester to stay after for a short time."

* * *

My and Ruby's team sat together at a lunch table, listening to Nora recite a story.

"We were surrounded by Ursi." She started.

"They were beowolves," Ren corrected in a dry tone.

"Dozens of them," Nora continued.

"There were three of them."

"But me and my buddy Ren took them all out and made a fortune selling Ursa hide rugs!" Nora finished her story and Ren sighed.

"She been having this dream for over a week now."

I laughed at my friend's antics. Seemed like Nora always had Ren on his toes. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cardin and his team circling around the girl with rabbit ears. _That's it. He's not doing this on my watch._ I glanced at my team. Most of them didn't notice the disturbance, but Garnet was starting to stand up with a murderous glint in his eyes. I joined him.

We walked over to the where Cardin and his team were standing. "Hey! Leave her alone."

"What? It's not like I'm bugging anyone. She's just a stupid ani-" Cardin didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.

An arm shot out, punching Cardin in the face while another arm grabbed his collar. Garnet's face was an inch away from Cardin's.

"Finish that sentence. I dare you." Garnet said quietly, his voice and eyes murderous. A few black rose petals were swirling around him. _Now that's terrifying. Remind me to never make Garnet angry. _Garnet released Cardin slowly, still seething with rage.

"That was stupid. You'd better grow eyes in the back of your head." Cardin threatened, making a tactical retreat with the rest of his team.

"And you better grow some balls or some brains. Either one will do." Garnet retorted with a snarl.

I turned toward the girl who Cardin had been picking on. She was stroking her long ears, looking like a scared rabbit, which is ironic because she technically is one.

"Are you ok?" I asked trying to sound as pleasant as possible.

"Y-yes. Thank you. I'm Scarlet." She replied meekly, eyeing Garnet with fear. Garnet was just standing there looking stunned. I noticed Yang coming up to him, but he just shrugged her off. _Something is definitely up with him._

"That's good. My name's Jaune and this is Garnet. If that idiot tries to bug you again please come to us. I'm always happy to help."

"Thank you very much." Scarlet said, smiling.

I turned toward to talk to Garnet, but he wasn't there. All that was left was a swirl of petals.

* * *

(Garnet POV)

After the incident during lunch I used my semblance and retreated to the balcony where Weiss and I had spoke. I look out at the horizon trying to collect my thoughts.

I didn't know what happened. I was just going to scold Cardin and tell him to knock it off, but him calling that girl a stupid animal just caused me to snap. I don't know why. My family is human not Faunus, so why should that have made me so angry? I was lost in my thoughts when I heard heavy footsteps behind me. The only person on my team who is that loud is Nora.

"Nora, for the last time, pancakes will not make me feel better."

"Guess again buddy boy." I spun around coming face to face with Cardin.

"What do you want? There aren't any defenseless students to harass up here." I growled. Just seeing that guy's face pisses me off.

"Oh I beg to differ. You're up here all alone. No team, no blonde big sister." _Is this guy stalking me? How does he know Yang is my sister? _Cardin noticed my discomfort and grinned. "Hmm… You know she doesn't look like you at all."

"Get to the point. I'm losing precious brain cells by even engaging in this conversation." _Brilliant comeback, if I do say so myself._

Cardin ignored me. "Why do you think that is? Are you even really related?"

"Shut up! No one talks about my family!" I yelled, stepping forward.

Cardin backed off. "Heh. Are they? Just think about it Flower boy." And then he just left.

I knew Cardin was just trying to screw with me. Still, what that idiot said made sense. Why don't I look like Yang or my mom and dad? All of them are fairly big, have sparkling blonde hair, and are broad. No matter how you look at it, I don't fit that description. Why I got so angry earlier also put some doubt in my mind.

Unfortunately I didn't have much time to think. Next period was only minutes away, and I didn't want to be late for that class.

I rushed into Combat Theory just as Professor Goodwitch was finishing her introductory speech.

"It's nice of you to show up Mr. Rose. Please be on time in the future, otherwise there will be consequences." Professor Goodwitch snapped a riding crop looking thing, making a 'crack' ring out in the large room.

I took a seat away from my team and siblings. I zoned out, thinking over what Cardin had said earlier. Professor Goodwitch was saying something about fighting people as well as Grimm, but I wasn't really paying attention.

"Mr. Rose." I snapped to attention. Everyone was staring at me. _Uh oh. What did I do now?_ "I asked you to come to the front with Mr. Winchester to demonstrate dueling."

"Oh. Sorry. Right away Professor Goodwitch." _Why does it have to be Cardin?_

"A duel," Goodwitch began, "is a method of competition, not a fight to the death. As such the battle ends when one competitor is unable to continues or their aura drops to an unsafe level." She pointed to a monitor that showed Cardin's and my aura levels. "This is also show on your scrolls. Now please begin." She motioned for Cardin and I to draw our weapons and begin fighting.

Cardin drew a large mace. _That should slow him down a bit. I can probably win if I out maneuver him and attack in quick bursts. _

Cardin interrupted my thoughts, charging forward with incredible speed. I managed to raise my sword to block an overhead attack from Cardin. Our faces were mere inches away.

"Did you think about it?" Cardin said, almost whispering.

"Shut up!" I rolled left, slashing at Cardin's unprotected legs. He simply stamped on my hand, causing me to cry out in pain.

"Why don't you run to your big sister, if she even is your sister." Cardin jeered, smiling. He got his desired reaction.

"I said SHUT UP!" I lunged forward in a strike fueled by anger. Cardin simply sidestepped and hit me in the back as I passed. I fell to ground in pain.

Cardin wasn't through with his fun yet. "May be you got so angry because you mother's just another one of those dirty animals." He said it quietly enough so only I could hear.

I snapped. My reason and self-control retreated to the back of my consciousness and unadulterated rage took over, controlling my every move. A storm of black rose petals erupted around me, and I slowly got up and walked toward Cardin.

"Is the baby angry?" Cardin mocked. I flicked my blade in a deadly sidestroke. Cardin put up his guard, but the petals around me engulfed my blade and cut through Cardin's weapon. My other blade moved, cutting into Cardin. Blood began to ooze from where my sword had cut through his armor.

"MR. ROSE! That's enough!" Goodwitch scolded.

I could barely hear her. I just continued to launch strike after strike at Cardin. I felt my semblance activate, increasing the speed of my swords. At this rate Cardin wasn't going to make it.

Professor Goodwitch, in an attempt to stop me before I killed Cardin, began launching high-powered dust spells at me. Still her arms were tied since she didn't want to kill me, just prevent from causing any more harm. A large fireball appeared at the end of her riding crop and sped toward me.

My rose petals intercepted the dust spell, causing it to explode before reaching me. Goodwitch continued to launch spell after spell, but was met with the same outcome each time.

The class was staring at me in horror, begging some one to stop me or for me to stop. However they knew that if Good witch couldn't stop my rampage, very few would be able to.

_NO! STOP! _But I couldn't. I had no control over my body. I just kept swinging at Cardin, cutting him and hurting him as he screamed in fear. Suddenly something rammed into me from behind. My rose petals shifted to the air behind me, ready to impale who ever had come behind me. They began began to rain down on the unknown assailant.

"Garnet, please stop. You're going to kill him." Ruby pleaded, holding on to the back of my shirt, ignoring the razor sharp petals raining down on her. I could feel her tears soaking into my back.

The storm of black petals dispersed, sapping all my strength as they disappeared. I fell to my knees, starring at my trembling hands that were holding my bloodied weapons. Ruby was now kneeling in front of me, wrapping me in a hug. She just kept repeating "please stop".

I couldn't handle it. I broke down crying, hiding my head in my sister's shoulder, dropping my swords and wrapping my arms around her with my remaining strength.

"I'm sorry." I wept. "I'm sorry."

The last of my strength left me and I fell, but I was already gone by then.

* * *

AN: Wow. That was a lot darker than I originally planned. Still, I think it went pretty well. What happened to Garnet? Why did he get so angry at Cardin's comment? Do I even know what's going to happen next? Possibly. Now to address reviews.

darknesskitsune1235 – Glad you like the story. Giving Garnet no Medical abilities is supposed to make him dependant on his team and give me a chance beat him up a bit (it's fun). But yes, it does make the story more exciting.

Jamal - I'm glad this is "the story you've ever read". Despite your grammar (don't worry about it. I've accidentally posted worse. Did you read about Jaune "cocking on his pancake" in chapter 4? I fixed that not too long ago) I'm extremely grateful for you kind words. About my story being calming... Sorry about the dark ending to this chapter. But don't worry! I'll try to keep it as up beat and calm as I can while making it more entertaining than "Barney". Also, you have a good day to sir! Or my lady, I don't discriminate...

And with that; Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and Repeat.

-Roxasblade


	9. NOT A CHAPTER BUT IMPORTANT! READ ME!

Hello Roxasblade here. If you read the chapter title you will know that this is not chapter 9, but that is still coming in the future. I just wanted to remind everyone that posting will slow down. As I said before, school is starting up soon and I'll have to focus on school work and studying. But never fear, I'll try to post when I can (probably saturdays or sundays). Ok that's it, but first let me address a review on chapter 8 from darknesskitsune1235 and Petrol Oil.

darknesskitsune - First, yeah Cardin's a dick. Two, I wanted Garnet to seem absolutely terrifying in what I like to call his "berserker" form. He loses all rational though and becomes OP as all hell. That said don't expect to see it too often, because I don't want to suffer from "Dragon Ball syndrome", which occurs when your characters become too over powered. Finally, I left Ruby out of the family comparison for two reasons. 1) Since Garnet and Ruby are twins, I didn't think it was necessary to include her. Apparently I was wrong and I apologize for that. 2) PLOT PLOT PLOT PLOT PLOT! I can't say yet, but trust me it'll be good... I hope. It's still kind of a nebulous idea. All you need to know is that it has to do with Garnet and Ruby's past.

Petrol Oil - I actually didn't know that Monty announced that Yang and Ruby are biological and all the confusing family stuff. Thanks for the info. Now I don't have to think of a BS technicality to make my plot make sense. Also thanks for the concern, but (slight spoiler so you might want to skip this) Garnet and Ruby are not in fact adopted. I'm going to attempt to explain what's up in the next chapter. Lastly knowing that stuff about the divorces makes my life easier. Expect to hear about Ruby and Garnet's step-father sometime soon, probably chapter 9, which is in the works as we speak.

And with that I bid you adieu. Read, Rate, and Review (just not this announcement. what'd be the point in that?). Rinse and Repeat.

Your grammatically challenged author,

-Roxasblade


	10. Rage of a Rose

AN: There were some last minute changes to my plot map. Hopefully they're decent ways to create a coherent plot. And a special thanks to Petro Oil, who will be helping with editing from now on. THANKS! And with that, here we go!

* * *

(Yang POV during Garnet and Cardin's duel)

Garnet and Cardin took their stances waiting for the duel to start.

I expected a quick and simple win for Garnet. I wish I'd known how wrong I was. If I had known what was going to happen next, I would've stopped the duel before it started, but I hadn't known.

* * *

"Isn't that the guy who was harassing that girl during lunch?" Ruby asked.

"Yup, that's the scum." Blake spat. The rest of team RWBY stared at Blake. That was a lot more hostility than she usually showed anyone.

"Well, whatever," I said shrugging off Blake's hostility toward Cardin, "look the duel's starting."

Cardin was a lot quicker than I expected. Garnet was barely able to block the first overhead strike from Cardin's heavy mace. Their weapons clanged and I noticed their lips moving. _What were they saying?_

Garnet rolled and slashed at Cardin's legs sloppily. Cardin lifted his leg and stamped on Garnet's hand.

"Garnet!" Ruby cried.

"Don't worry sis. You should know that G's just getting warmed up," I assured Ruby, but I was mainly trying to convince myself.

"Can I break his legs now?" Nora asked Ren.

"No." Ren answered simply.

Cardin was talking again, but I still couldn't hear what he was saying.

"I said SHUT UP!" Garnet yelled, rushing at Cardin, who sidestepped and smashed Garnet on the back as he passed. Garnet hit the floor.

"That dirty cheat!" I complained to Ruby, "he's trying to win by making Garnet act on anger, not skill." I looked at my little sister. She had an extremely worried look on her face and seemed ready to jump in and stop the fight. "Easy there little sister."

Garnet was slowly getting off the ground, but something wasn't right. Dead, black rose petals were swirling around him and the look in his eyes was beyond murderous. It was demonic and bone chilling. Garnet was slowly moving toward Cardin, his swords making sparks against the floor.

"Something's wrong." Ruby said, staring at our brother.

Garnet swung his sword at Cardin's side, which was defended by his mace. Rose petals engulfed Garnet's sword, cutting through Cardin's weapon and slicing open his side. Blood began oozing from the wound Garnet had just inflicted.

_Garnet shouldn't be able to do something like that. The rose petals should just be projections. _"Stop the match!" I yelled, jumping to my feet. Ruby was still staring at Garnet with fear in her eyes.

Professor Goodwitch nodded at me. "MR. ROSE! That's enough!"

Garnet ignored her, stringing together a combo of slashes at the defenseless Cardin, who was cowering in fear of the terrifying Garnet. The volume of rose petals increased, signaling that Garnet had activated his semblance. The rate of his strikes increased.

"Garnet! Please stop!" Ruby pleaded from her seat, but Garnet didn't respond. He just kept attacking mercilessly.

Both team RWBY and team JGNPR began calling out to Garnet, but to no avail. At this rate, Cardin was going to die.

Professor Goodwitch had begun to launch large fireballs at Garnet, in an attempt to stop his rampage.

"Don't hurt him!" I screamed. Garnet's petals acted as a shield, intercepting the dust spells, causing them to explode. The sound of explosions joined Cardin's screams.

Tears were flowing down Ruby's face. "Garnet stop!" She jumped up and rushed the battlefield, heading for Garnet.

"Ruby!" I cried, chasing after my sister. In this state, no one could predict what Garnet might do. He might even try to kill Ruby if she got in his way.

Ruby slammed into Garnet's back and was almost instantly assailed by Garnet's rose petals, threatening to cut her to ribbons. I was still trying to get through the throng of students. I could do nothing except watch as Garnet hurt Ruby.

"Garnet, please stop. You're going to kill him." Ruby pleaded, her tears soaking into Garnet's back as the rose petals continued cut her.

I could see no other way to protect Ruby than to attack Garnet. "Garnet, I'm sorry." With tears in my eyes I readied a shot and took aim.

I was about to shoot when Garnet sank to his knees, staring at his bloodied blades. Ruby rushed in front of him, wrapping him in a hug. I made my way beside her, shoving people out of the way as I went.

Garnet had his head nestled in Ruby's shoulder, and as I got close I heard him crying.

"I'm sorry." He said between sobs. "I'm sorry."

He crumpled, his breaths weak and shallow. I hurriedly picked him up in a bridal carry and began rushing out of the combat hall with Ruby hot on my tail, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Out of the way! Move it!" I commanded.

I sprinted in the direction of the medial ward, my limp brother in my arms.

* * *

(Ruby POV) [AN: If you like reading with musical accompaniment, try listening to "Musique pour la Tristesse de Xion" from Kingdom Hearts or "At our Parting" from Sword Art Online while reading this next scene.]

I sat in the waiting room, my arms wrapped around my sister's torso as I waited for the tears to subside. Sitting with us were my team and Jaune's team. No one spoke. Even Nora sat silently, holding on to Ren's arm.

Images of Garnet during the duel kept flashing in my mind. I'm not even sure if that had been Garnet. The usual cheerful glimmer in his eyes had been replaced by something sinister and dark, and I saw pain painted across his face, like he hadn't wanted to do what he did.

However, I wasn't crying because I was scared. I was crying because I had been powerless to help Garnet. I had only been able to sit and watch in horror as he cut Cardin over and over again.

At that moment the doctor walked into the room. I sat up, praying that Garnet is ok.

"We have good news and rather distressing news," the doctor informed us.

Everyone waited for him to continue.

"The good news is that your friend is fine physically. He only collapsed from exhaustion."

I fell back against Yang in relief. _Thank dust he's ok._ Everyone in the waiting room had a similar reaction.

"The… troubling news is that, emotionally, your friend is in worse shape," the doctor began, trying to give us the bad news in as gentle a manor as possible. "That is normal considering the magnitude of what happened. We had him describe what he experienced. He was slightly tight lipped, but here's what we know. Your friend became highly enraged by something the other student said. He momentarily lost control of his actions and his aura gained a physical form, acting on its own and attacking possible threats. That's all we know. Professor Ozpin has decided that we should release your friend, but keep a close eye on him. Are any of you related to the patient?"

Yang spoke up. "I'm his older sister."

"It would be best if you kept 24-hour surveillance on him for a day or two. Having a family member with him will hopefully be comforting. You all may go see him if you wish."

I followed behind Yang timidly.

Garnet was sitting up in a bed, hugging his knees wit his head down.

"H-hey. How're you doing?" Jaune asked cautiously. Garnet didn't even look up.

"The whole team was worried about you," Pyrrha offered. Garnet's shoulders slumped further.

"Jaune will make pancakes!" Nora exclaimed.

Garnet's shoulder began moving up and down as he silently cried. Finally, he looked up at all of us. His face was a mixture of sadness and pain.

"How can you all still treat me like a human being? I tried to brutally murder Cardin." He paused and looked at me before looking down at his hands. "I tried to kill you. I broke my promise… I turned into a monster," Garnet finished quietly.

Ren walked up to Garnet and backhanded him, taking all of us by surprise. "That was for calling yourself a monster. You're you."

A shadow of a smile appeared on Garnet's face.

"C'mon little brother. I'm crashing with you guys for a few days, so lets go. Do you need to lean on me?" Yang asked.

"N-no." Garnet seemed reluctant to meet Yang's eyes. "Jaune can help me."

"Sure thing." Jaune leaned down giving Garnet his shoulder as Garnet shakily got out of the bed.

Before they left I ran up and hugged Garnet. "Please don't ever do that again. You scared me."

"I'm sorry Ruby. And I'm sorry that I broke my promise."

As he was walking away I realized that I didn't know what promise he was talking about. _What promise?_

* * *

(Garnet POV)

Everyone had gone down to the dining hall for dinner. Only Yang and I stayed behind in my dorm room. We had set up a cot at the foot of my bed for Yang, who was now lying down, trying to relax.

I was in my bed staring at the ceiling. Cardin's words were still rang in my head. _"Why don't you run to your big sister, if she even is your sister."_

"Garnet," Yang called. I flinched.

"Y-yeah big si-" I couldn't say it. I felt to unsure about everything. "-Yang."

Yang looked surprised but continued. "What did Cardin say to you during the fight? It must've been something extreme since I've never seen you like that before."

I closed my eyes and began to speak. "He said," I paused and looked at Yang, "that you might not be my sister. That we might not even be related." I didn't mention the part about Cardin calling my mother a dirty animal.

"C'mon little brother. Of course I'm your sister."

"But why is my last name Rose, not Xiao Long? And you don't I look like you, or mom, or dad?"

"You do look like our mom. Don't you remember? She die-" I snapped to attention and Yang quickly clamped her mouth shut.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. "Mom and dad are safe in Vale, so who's dead?" Yang turned over on her cot, looking away from me.

"So, what's that promise you were talking about?" Yang asked, changing the topic.

"Don't you remember? You must've been there." I was becoming more and more uncertain about my family.

Yang was about to say something, but stopped herself. "No, I don't remember," she said quietly.

I was a little skeptical, but I continued. "When we were all young, Ruby and I found a vial of red dust and decided to play with it. I don't remember much, but I remember accidentally setting of an explosion, a big one. Ruby shielded me and almost died because of that. Once she finally recovered I promised to protect her or die trying, and today I failed."

Yang came next to me and wrapped her arms around me. I couldn't bring my to return the hug. "Get some rest little brother." Yang returned to her cot.

Soon I heard Yang quietly snoring. I checked my watch. _Team RWBY should still be out. _ I snuck across the hall into their room.

"If I were a clue to what Yang was talking about where would I be?" I muttered.

I stopped in front of a framed picture. Ruby and I were at the center of the picture with two people on either side. One was a woman who looked almost exactly like Ruby. The other was a man with kind, glowing eyes and a long puffy tail.

I pocketed the picture and headed for my favorite spot, the balcony.

* * *

I reached the balcony, but didn't walk out into the open. Sitting on a bench were Ruby and Jaune. It looked like they were in the middle of a conversation.

"So," Jaune began. "You've never really told me about your family. I told you about mine, so it's only fair." Jaune elbowed Ruby in the side, and Ruby chuckled lightly.

"Sure thing motion sickness boy." Jaune looked annoyed, but stayed silent. "I live in Vytal with Garnet, Yang, my dad, and my step-mom."

_Step-mom?_

Ruby continued. "When Garnet, Yang and I were really young, our parents got divorced. My mom took Garnet and me, and my dad took Yang. Both got remarried. My mom married a lion faunus, Leon. Leon was the nicest step-dad a kid could ask for, plus his tail was really soft. Even though we weren't with our dad, everything was great."

Images started rushing in to my head, forcing me to my knees as pain assaulted my brain. I saw images of the man in the photo holding my hand as we walked through the woods, chasing me, and tucking me in at night. Other images flowed in as well. A lot of them were of the woman in the picture, who I now knew as my mom. _Why didn't I know any of this? _ I thought as I gritted my teeth in pain. My hands were holding my head to prevent it from splitting open.

"All of that changed very suddenly." Ruby was talking again, but her voice sounded sad. "Garnet and I found some dust and were playing with it. Garnet accidentally caused a really big explosion. I shielded Garnet, who had been knocked back by the blast. Fire engulfed our house, killing our mom and Leon. Garnet passed out shortly after and when he woke up his memories of our mother and Leon were gone. That probably happened because of the trauma."

I was still kneeling on the ground holding my head. Darker, more painful images flowed into my head. I saw Ruby lying on top of me, covered in blood. I saw a house reduced to mere rubble. Finally, I saw a charred hand sticking out of the rubble.

It was too much. I couldn't take this anymore. I screamed.

Jaune and Ruby whipped around and saw me. They both went pale, but rushed over to me. I was still screaming holding my head as more horrible memories surfaced. The last memory I saw before I passed out was an image of my dead mother.

She was nothing more than a charred corpse.

* * *

AN: And the plot keeps getting darker, but I like it. Do all you readers feel the same way? And on to reviews!

…There were none, but there's an easy way to fix that! Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and Repeat.

-Roxasblade


	11. A little help from a new friend

AN: Here's chapter 10. It's going to be the last semi-dark chapter for a while, because I want to start writing happier and more fun stuff for a while. Thank you to Petrol Oil for all his help. And with that, here we go!

* * *

(Garnet POV)

I had a dream about my dead parents. I was a child again and we were in the forest where we used to go for walks. In my dream, I had rescued a frog from a bird. I ran to show my parents.

"Look mommy! I saved a frog!" I beamed.

"We're so proud of you Garnet," Leon praised.

"But," my mother said as her and Leon's skin began turning black and charred, "it's too bad you couldn't save us too."

The back round changed to the rubble of what once was my house. My parents turned to ash and were swept away by the wind.

I jerked awake with dried tears on my check. Pyrrha, who I assumed had been sitting on my bed, had been flung to the ground by my sudden movement.

"He's awake," she called out.

The heads of my team and sisters popped up like in a cartoon. Ruby and Yang were looking at me with worried expressions.

"Garnet, how much do you remember?" Yang asked with a wavering voice. My team looked confused.

"I-I remember everything," I said in despair covering my face with my hands.

"Garnet, what's going on?" Ren asked, clearly concerned.

I didn't bother responding. "Why? Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded, raising my voice.

Ruby opened her mouth, but closed it again, unable to speak. Yang stepped in.

"Soon after the incident you and Ruby came to live with our dad and me. You had no memory of what had happened, our mother, or Leon. We didn't want you to remember. We thought it would be less painful for you that way. So we just pretended it never happened."

Our friends were still just standing there, unsure if they should get involved. Weiss had an exasperated look on her face.

"Would anyone care to fill us in?" she huffed.

I ignored Weiss. "And you two thought it was better to wait for everything to come crashing back all at once years later? Do you know how terrifying it is to lose control of you body and have no idea why? To forget the darkest moment of you life and then have it come flooding back in such horrifying detail that you pass out? To have that moment play in the mind over and over again?" I yelled.

Blake was also getting impatient with being in the dark. "What are you talking about?" She asked in an agitated tone.

"My mom and step-dad are dead and I'm the one who killed them!" I yelled, causing Blake to shrink back and the room to fall silent. "Now does anyone else what to twist the knife in the wound?"

Pyrrha put a hand on my shoulder, but I just shrugged her off. "Just leave me alone!" I burst. Pyrrha looked hurt, but backed off.

"I'm going for a walk," I mumbled, walking out of the room.

* * *

I stopped in an empty hallway and slumped against a wall.

"Um, excuse me. You're Garnet, right?" a quiet voice asked.

I looked up. In front of me stood the rabbit faunus from earlier. "Yeah," I said trying to keep my voice neutral. I failed horrendously.

"Are you ok?" the girl asked. I just laughed in despair. _What does ok even mean any more?_

"Do you want to talk about it? Listening is one of my strong points." The girl said pointing to her large ears. "I'm Velvet."

_That's better than just sitting here feeling sorry for myself. _"I just remembered my family, my mother and stepfather. My mother was human and my stepfather was a faunus. They were the kindest and most supportive parents out there."

"That sounds lovely," Velvet said as she clapped her hands together.

I continued. "I remembered that they're dead. I'm the one who killed them."

Velvet grabbed my hand. "I'm so sorry." I wanted to pull my hand back, but she sounded so sincere.

"You don't think I'm a monster?"

Velvet shook her head making her long ears flop about. "You're just a person with a sad past. Besides you're one of the few people who has ever stood up for me."

I smiled at Velvet. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just returning a favor." She smiled back.

_She looks cute when she smiles… Where'd that come from?_

"Bye the way, don't you think your team is worried about you?" Velvet added as an after thought.

"About that… I might've not reacted well to remembering my past, and I possibly blew up at my team." I said hesitantly.

"So that's exactly what happened, right?" Velvet guessed.

"Yup. I doubt they want to see me right now. I'm sorry to push this on someone I don't really know, but can I bunk with your team tonight?"

Velvet had a slight blush on her face. " I don't actually have a team since I'm a Solo, but you can sleep in my room if you need."

My brain froze. _Did I just accidentally talk my way into a girl's room?_

"Th-thanks." I said, trying to ignore the thought. _I hope Ruby doesn't find out about this._

* * *

I followed Velvet into her dorm room.

Velvet was stroking her ears nervously and I was shuffling my feet, trying to ignore the awkward atmosphere in the room.

I looked around trying to get a feel for the room. It was just your average dorm room. There was a small dresser, a desk filled with books and papers, a door leading to a bathroom, and a single bed placed against one of the walls.

I tired to think of anything to say to break the awkward silence.

"I'll floor sleep, ok?" _Smooth move lady-killer._

Velvet just stared at me for a second before cracking up. "Care to try again?" she asked in between bouts of laughter.

"Yes please," I said sheepishly. "I'll sleep on the floor." Velvet was still giggling slightly. It was an incredibly calming sound, like the quiet tinkling of bells. I smiled, feeling more at ease.

I laid a blanket and pillow on the ground near Velvet's bed, while Velvet was in the bathroom changing.

The bathroom door opened and Velvet appeared wearing a pair of grey shorts and an oversized blue t-shirt. She raced under the covers of her bed, causing me to chuckle. I took off my shirt and got under the blanket I had put on the floor.

"So, you said you're a Solo. What is that?" I asked Velvet, trying to make conversation.

"A Solo is just a person with out a team. Since they work on their own they can't accept difficult assignments, but they can ask a team or a member of a team to join them on assignments."

"Have you always been a Solo?" Velvet fidgeted uncomfortably at my question.

"When I first came to Beacon I had a team with three of my friends, all of whom where fauna, but they all left because of harassment." I could hear sadness in her voice and I immediately felt awful for asking.

"Sorry. I bet you didn't want to think about that."

Velvet lifted her head up. "No, it's fine. I'm sure you've had a hard time too." _Yeah, no kidding._

We enjoyed a comfortable silence for a few moments. Then my curiosity and nerdosity about weapons interrupted the peaceful moment. "So what's your fighting style?" I blurted out. I was curious how a Solo would fight to handle support and offense without any teammates.

"Hmm… I'll tell you, but you have to tell me how you fight first," Velvet teased.

"You drive a hard bargain," I joked. "I'm a swordsman. I dual wield dust katanas."

"You dual wield too?" Velvet asked excitedly. Some how she had appeared next to me on the floor without me noticing.

"Um… Yes? What do you use?"

"Well I mainly rely on dust spells, but I have two kunai. They're small knives that can be used for throwing and hand-to-hand combat. They're from the Eastern Kingdom." Velvet quickly finished her explanation.

_It's official. This girl is awesome._ I reviewed what I know about Velvet. She's cute, compassionate, isn't scared of me, and has an awesome fighting style. If she isn't the best thing since seeing Nora after she drank coffee, I don't know what is.

"Hey Velv," I said, trying out the nickname, "want to spar tomorrow? Seems like all I've been doing lately is getting hurt and going to class, so sparing would be a nice change of pace. Besides, we don't have classes tomorrow."

Velvet yawned. "Sure, but first, sleep." With that she got back into her bed, rolled over, and pulled the blanket over her head.

I chuckled. "Yes m'am."

* * *

The next morning I woke up feeling well rested and ready to go. I stood up to see if Velvet was awake yet, but she was still dead to the world.

_Is it impolite to use someone else's shower? _"Screw it," I said quietly, stepping into the bathroom for a quick shower. When I was finished, I got dressed and headed back into the room.

Velvet was awake and dressed. Well, she was half awake and stumbling around, but at least she was dressed. She was wearing a pair of black shorts with a belt that hung low on her left side, and a red sleeves shirt with red sleeve things on her arms that left her shoulders bare. On her belt were multiple small pouches and her two sheathed knives.

Velvet noticed me and waved, her eyes still half shut. "Guh moring," she yawned.

Did she even sleep?

"Are you ready to spar?" Velvet asked while stretching to wake herself up.

"Sure," I responded, "just let me grab my gear."

After I had my swords, Velvet and I headed to the cliff above the Emerald Forest. I pulled out my blades and Velvet did the same. In a barely visible movement, Velvet pulled grabbed something out of a pouch on her belt.

"Ready to go, Garnet?" Velvet asked, hopping from foot to foot slightly as she spun her blades into a backhand grip.

"Ladies first," I replied, holding my swords at the ready. Velvet grinned and rushed forward at a frightening pace. I followed suit.

Mid stride Velvet launched on of her knives at me. I redirected it and continued moving forward, preparing to counter attack. I swung my blade, but Velvet wasn't there anymore. She'd just disappeared. I heard a "woosh" of air above me and rolled forward as Velvet fell out of the air in a downward slash.

I swung my leg to try and knock Velvet off balance, but she nimbly jumped over my leg. In mid air she snapped her fingers and a vortex of wind dragged me up into the sky. The vortex lifted me higher and higher into the air as I flailed my arms in the hopes of grabbing onto something. I managed to grab a branch of a nearby tree, pulling myself out of the vortex.

I crouched on the branch, sniping at Velvet with fire and electricity from my blades, but she avoided my shots and snapped her fingers again. A ball of fire shot at me, forcing me to jump off my branch. _The only way I'm gonna beat her is with speed_. I activated my semblance and rushed Velvet, trying to give her no time to prepare.

I swung my blades in complex arcs, feinting and stabbing as my semblance increased the speed of my blades. Velvet did her best to parry and dodge my strikes but she was falling behind. Finally, I saw an opening in her guard.

_Now!_ I swung my blade, aiming for Velvet's exposed side. I'd actually forgotten that this was just friendly practice. Realizing my mistake, I quickly flicked my wrist so I would hit Velvet with the flat of my blade instead of the razor sharp edge.

The flat of my blade rocketed into Velvet, who dropped her weapons and grabbed her side, coughing slightly. _That must've really hurt. _I rushed over to make sure I hadn't broken one of Velvet's ribs or anything of the sort. Luckily she was just winded.

"I'm so sorry," I quickly apologized.

"Don't worry about it," she sputtered, "we were both getting a bit too into it."

"If you say so…" I still felt bad. " How about some food?" I asked extending my hand to Velvet.

She took my hand in her own. "Sure."

I smiled at the feeling of Velvet's hand in mine as we walked toward the main building of Beacon.

"What's with the big grin?" Velvet asked.

"I'm just really happy." There was no other way to describe the feeling.

Velvet giggled. The sound was like music to my ears. "That's better than yesterday," Velvet said happily.

I didn't even have to think before responding. "That's thanks to you." Velvet blushed.

"Now you just have to sort things out with your team." Velvet began pulling me toward the dorms.

"I-I don't think I want to do that yet," I said quickly trying to think of an excuse.

"Too bad," Velvet sang happily as she tugged on my arm.

I sighed. "Are you always this pushy?" I asked grumpily.

"Only when the person matters," Velvet replied. I smiled as I let that statement sink in.

* * *

AN: And finally the dark stuff is over. If you liked all the dark stuff, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Anyway, Velvet's now an important character, so expect to see me write from her perspective in later chapters. Now on to the reviews.

-darknesskitsune1235: I'm glad you liked the chapter 10. I mean, I think you liked it. But anyway, you said you were excited to see what came next and here it is. Tell me what you think of the chapter.

-crazyman90 (in response to chapter 8): I've never actually watched Bleach or an of the "big 3"; Bleach, One Piece, and Naruto. As such I don't know who Byakuya is. On an unrelated not, my favorite animé is Cowboy Bebop.

That's it for the reviews. Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and Repeat.

-Ventusblade


	12. Not a chapter, just answering questions

Hello Ventusblade here (sorry about the random name change. I was unlisted on the website when I was Roxasblade but not as Ventusblade. Weird.)

This is just a quick announcement to explain some thing that people have asked. I could wait to do this until chapter 11 comes out, but I feel that it's better to explain them now to avoid further confusion.

First I'll respond to Frozen Fate: I would first like to thank you for pointing out some inconsistencies in my plot. However I'm a bit too invested to just to back and change all of them, so I'll try to explain them as logically as possible and in chronological order based on your review.

1) Sorry, I'm a sloppy typer but I'm working on that. Also check the chapter 1 AN for disclaimer about the cover photo.

2) Garnet went out to look for Ruby when she was fighting Torchwick, and then helped her. I'll mention that in a later conversation, but that's how Garnet got into Beacon.

3) Garnet isn't weaker than Ruby, he just wasn't paying attention. It happens to all of us, just we usually don't have to worry about a monster coming out of a blind spot and trying to kill us.

4) Oops. Sorry but that's just a little inconsistency you're going to just have to deal with.

5) I actually don't like the five person team either, but I didn't want to add more than one extra character to the story. The five person team was the only solution I saw, even though it sucks.

6) I'm sorry but I don't really see the point your trying to make. Please don't take that as being rude. I just honestly don't know what you're trying to ask/say.

7) Suspension of disbelief, my friend. I did state that I would try to avoid changing things, but sometimes that is necessary to have a decent plot.

8) I'm going to assume you're being sarcastic. Garnet didn't beat Goodwitch, she's far too good for that. One, Garnet wasn't doing anything, his anger and aura were doing all the work. It's what I like to call a "berserker mode", and as I stated earlier it will likely never show up again because I don't want to suffer from DBZ syndrome. Two, Goodwitch was holding back because she didn't want to kill a student. If she had wanted to kill him, she would have.

9) Nowhere did it say that they were blood related, but I thought it would make for a better story. Also, refer to bullet point 4.

10) Refer to bullet point 4 again/ I'm a bit lazy.

11) To answer the first part of this, refer to bullet point 4, since I couldn't think of a different word. To answer why Velvet didn't kick the crap out of Garnet, they were just having a friendly sparring session. They weren't competing for who would get to stay in Beacon. Please be patient and wait for a real fight, then you will have something to base an opinion off of.

12) I have no problem with you stating your opinions. Actually I welcome it, and appreciate that you care enough to state your concerns. Still you're just going to have to accept some of the changes in order to enjoy the story.

In response to Kaze-07:

Garnet's weapons, Red Raven and Gale Force, are twin katanas that are infused with dust. To be more specific, when the metal was being poured into the shape of a blade dust was added to allow them to shoot that element. They are not in fact guns, nor can they turn into guns. Think about Thor's hammer from Nordic mythology. It's not a gun but I can be used to attack with lightening. Garnet's weapons follow the same concept.

In response to AnimesWord:

Meh. I guess it's all preference. I'm glad that you enjoy the story though.

In response to pressea:

Refer to bullet point 2 from my response to Frozen Fate.

And in response to sUbSoNicSoundwave (who reviewed this. This is an updated version):

There are two reasons why I didn't create enough OCs to create a team GRNT. 1) I couldn't think of enough likable characters. 2) Creating that many new characters would have had a massive effect on the story, which I did not want. 3) I'm fairly lazy.

With all of that out of the way, I apologize that this is just a really big Q/A session. I thought it would just be best to clear somethings up since this entire story was practically written on the fly, which just meant there were going to be mistakes and inconsistencies. If anyone has any OTHER question (ones not answered in this), feel free to ask. And with that, I'll leave you with the announcement that chapter 11 is on the way.

Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and Repeat.

-Ventusblade


	13. What could possibly go wrong?

AN: Since I've been getting messaged about this (I won't say names. Only joking, if you want to know just read the review), I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO FOR THIS STORY. It belongs to lie-ren from tumblr. Moving on, a special thanks to Petrol Oil for all their help. Now, enjoy the magnificent health benefits of this chapter (effects may vary)!

* * *

(Velvet POV)

"I really don't want to do this," Garnet whined for the tenth time as I practically dragged him toward the dorm.

"Don't care," I grunted as I pulled him. "Keep walking." Of course Garnet stopped walking as I said that. I slipped a green dust crystal out of my belt and prepared to snap my fingers.

"Garnet, I swear if you keep doing this I will launch you to the dorm," I threatened in an irritated tone, sounding like a mother. I was about to snap, summoning a wind vortex, when Garnet turned to me.

"Velv, I thought of a way to make up with everyone!" He burst excitedly. "Can you get them and tell them to meet me in front of the school? Thanks!" Garnet was running before he even finished the sentence.

_Well at least he's going to try,_ I thought as I continued toward the dorm.

As luck would have it both team RWBY and JGNPR were just leaving the dorm, probably heading to lunch.

"Um, excuse me." I said meekly, cursing myself for being so shy around new people.

"Hey Velvet. Is everything ok?" Jaune asked me, obviously trying to be as unintimidating as possible.

I nodded, unable to speak. My ears were back flat against my head. _C'mon, Garnet asked you to do something._ "G-garnet wants you all to meet him in front of the main building." I said hurriedly.

Ruby perked up immediately. "C'mon!" We all hurried to keep up.

* * *

Garnet was sitting on a bench, waiting for us to show up. He sighed once he saw us. _You're the one who asked for this._

"I want to try and apologize for acting like a jerk before. I took out all my frustration and, well fear, on you guys when you were just tying to help me. Especially Yang."

Yang looked uncomfortable. "It's fine, Garnet."

"No it's not. I hate how I acted, and I want you to return the favor."

I had a really bad feeling about what was coming next.

"Do you want Yang to punch you or something?" Jaune asked in disbelief.

"Oooo, do you think Garnet would go flying?" Nora asked excitedly.

"Not the time, Nora." Ren scolded.

"C'mon Yang. I would feel a lot better if you just hit me and we were done with this." Garnet pleaded.

I decided to sit down and just wait for Garnet to be satisfied. Most of team RWBY joined me, which made me slightly uncomfortable.

"Garnet, I'm not going to hit you. This is ridiculous." Yang tried to reason.

"Please Garnet, try to think about this a bit more." Ruby added.

Garnet just sighed and pulled out a knife, which looked strangely familiar. It was short with a diamond shaped blade and a small loop at the end of the handle. On the blade was a small "V". I sweat dropped (AN: Is that a term?). _Is that my blade!? _ My hands flew to the sheaths on my belt. One of my blades was gone. _How did he get that?_

Garnet hurled the blade at Yang in the blink of an eye. My blade made a loud 'thunk' as it got stuck in a tree, and a small lock of blonde hair could be seen floating down in front of Yang.

"Get away from Yang! Hit the ground!" Ruby yelled, diving away from her sister.

"RAAAH!" Yang screamed as fire erupted around her. Everyone flinched as Yang shot a round behind her to propel her forward.

I saw Garnet smile as he prepared himself.

He didn't do a good enough job.

Yang barreled forward, swinging at Garnet with all her strength. Garnet flew back about teen feet before coming to a skidding stop. Somehow he managed to stay on his feet.

The fire around Yang dispersed and she seemed calmed down. She was about to start apologizing when we heard the soft clicking of a cane against the stone ground approaching. We all turned to see Professor Ozpin walking toward us, a mug of coffee in hand.

"Well, if Miss Xiao Long is through, I would like to speak to Mr. Arc and his team.

* * *

(Jaune POV)

_Please don't let us be in trouble. _My team stood before Ozpin nervously.

"Miss Scarlinata could you join us as well," Ozpin requested. Velvet had been trying to silently slip away. She released a small "eep" and ran to Garnet's side, holding onto his arm.

_That's going to be fun to tease him about._

"May I preface this by saying I didn't do it, and if I did I don't remember doing it," Garnet said, taking great interest in a pebble.

Nora started giggling and Velvet administered a dope slap to Garnet. Ozpin watched in silent amusement.

"Ignoring Mr. Rose, I have a request for you," Ozpin began, taking a sip from his mug.

"Do we get to fight a dragon?" Nora burst, bouncing slightly.

Ren just sighed. "Nora, please let the headmaster talk."

"As I was saying," Ozpin continued, "I would like you to handle a small problem with Grimm in the Forest of Forever Fall. While this should be relatively simple, I am hesitant to send a first year team on their own," he looked pointedly at Garnet, who once again became very interested in the ground. "As such, Miss Scarlinata will accompany you. You will leave immediately."

* * *

"So does everyone know the plan?" I prompted as my group walked the path toward the Forest of Forever Fall. As we got closer to our destination the color of the leaves on the trees became deep read and orange, and the tree line became denser.

"We enter the forest and slit up into groups of two to eliminate the Grimm," Pyrrha recited.

"Perfect as always Pyrrha," I smiled as I stopped before the entrance of the forest. "Here are the groups. Pyrrha and I, Garnet and Velvet, and Nora and Ren."

Nora squealed happily hugging Ren, who had a tired but happy look on his face. "Let's break 'em," Nora exclaimed, hefting her massive hammer.

"Each group will head to one of the areas the headmaster specified and take out the Grimm there. Don't take any unnecessary risks. We'll meet back here in about two hours." I paused to look around at my team. I had absolute faith in them. "Ok, lets do this!" Each group rushed off in a different direction.

The forest was even more impressive inside. Massive trees in a constant state of fall towered overhead, casting a cooling shadow over the forest floor.

"Nice place for a date," I thought aloud as Pyrrha and I made our way to our objective.

"I-I guess it is," Pyrrha answered after a short pause. He face was slightly red for some reason. I wonder why?

As we continued walking deeper into the forest, the tree line thinned, revealing a small clearing. In the center of the clearing laid a sleeping Ursa. Pyrrha and I quietly took cover behind a tree incase the creature woke up.

I pulled out my scroll and selected the map icon. According to the map, we were in one of the areas that Ozpin had marked. Pyrrha readied her rifle and took aim.

BANG!

The shot rang out in the silent forest as birds fled from the sound, cawing as they went. The Ursa remained unmoving on the ground. Cautiously I crept up to the bear-like monster. Upon closer inspection, the bullet had gone clean through the Ursa, likely piercing a lung. There was no way it was still alive.

"Nice shot."

"Thank you Jaune," Pyrrha replied, but she sounded a little distracted. "I'm not one to complain, but didn't that seem a bit too easy?"

"Now that you mention it, that did seem way too simple?" I looked down at the dead Grimm. As far as Ursa went, it was actually pretty small. Plus it had been easy to get close, so it couldn't have posed much of a threat to anyone.

I pushed those thoughts away for the time being. "Let's check in with the others." I began calling Ren with my scroll. A video feed of Ren appeared on the screen.

"How's everything going?" Ren asked as a pink explosion flashed behind him.

"Great. We're already done." There was another explosion followed by what sounded like a tree crashing to the ground. "Is everything ok over there?"

"Yeah. Nora's just finishing up." Ren sounded a bit bored.

"Aw… They're all gone," Nora's voice said in the backround. _I guess she's done._

"Ok then. Let's meet back at the forest's enterance." I was about to hang up, but I hesitated. "Any word from Garnet and Velvet?" We were nearing the two-hour mark.

"Not yet, but Velvet's with him. I doubt she'd let him do anything stupid." Unfortunately, Ren didn't look too sure of his statement. "Anyway, see you in a bit." Ren hung up and the screen turned black.

I turned to Pyrrha. "No point in sticking around here. We might as well head back."

* * *

(Garnet POV)

"Don't know about you, but I'm getting really tired of this," I huffed breathlessly.

"Less complaining, more fighting," Velvet replied in a similar manor. She wasn't in any better shape than I was in.

I returned my focus to the matter at hand, the gigantic angry Ursa Major that wanted nothing more than for us to be dead.

"Yes m'am," I grunted, rushing at the monster head on as Velvet covered me with various dust attacks.

I quickly rolled under the giant bear Grimm and sprang to my feet, unleashing a flurry of slashes on the Ursa Major's chest. My swords simply deflected off the monster's thick armor. Velvet continued to hurl dust attacks with no effect.

I grunted in frustration as I jumped back to avoid being shredded by a giant clawed paw. Nothing Velvet or I threw at the Ursa phased it. All of our attacks seemed to just bounce off its armor.

I jumped in to air with the help of my aura, slashing at the giant bear's unprotected face. The monster screamed in pain and tried to cover its face. _Finally dealt some damage. _

My moment of triumph was short lived. "Garnet, block left!" Velvet yelled, throwing a gust of wind to slow down the beast. My blades flew to my left as a giant paw smashed into me, knowing me out of the air.

I crashed back to earth painfully. Somehow I managed to roll in time to avoid being flattened by the Ursa's arm. I sprang to my feet painfully, activating my semblance to retreat.

"Velvet, switch!" I commanded as I ran back to where she was.

"Got it." She pulled out her kunai and bolted past me. She reached the Ursa and began dancing around it, her blades flicking out at the monster with little effect.

_We can't keep this up for much longer, _I thought in despair as I shot round after round from my blades. Velvet was losing momentum, and I was dangerously low on aura.

Then Velvet stumbled.

It was only for a second, but that was al the Ursa Major needed. Its arm connected with Velvet at top speed, sending her flying. She flew back against a tree, gasping in pain and losing her grip on her knives. The monster reared back, preparing for one final attack.

"Damn it!" I activated my semblance, appearing in front of Velvet in a cloud of black petals, raising my swords in a defensive X. I sent the last of my aura to my arms as the Ursa Major pushed back against my defense.

"You will not hurt my friend!" I grunted with the effort of resisting the Ursa's strength. I could feel the monster overpowering me as I tried to push back to no avail. Soon my aura would run out and I would be crushed.

"Get back! Now!" I complied, diving away from the monster. A second later the Ursa was enveloped in a pillar of blue fire. The heat was insane. It felt like my face was melting off.

The monster's screams filled the air. The sound was a scream of pure pain and fear, sending shivers down my spine.

Suddenly the sound ceased and the fire dispersed, leaving behind the burnt corpse of the Ursa Major.

"What the hell was that?" I breathed, shakily getting to my feet. I did a quick check of myself.

Broken bones? No, but my arms were sore as hell.

Any aura left? Nope. I was running on empty.

The desire to take a nap? Yes please.

_First find Velvet. _I scanned the area looking for my partner. She was seated against a tree, looking beaten and breathing heavily. I wanted to run over to her, but my legs had a different idea. I settled for a slow walk.

"Velv, are you ok?" The answer seemed pretty obvious. She was completely drained. Even so, Velvet nodded and attempted a weak smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. That last attack just took a lot out of me."

My legs were burning, demanding that I sit down. I slumped down beside Velvet. "What was that? I've never seen a dust attack like that."

Velvet chuckled slightly. "Plan Z," She answered simply. _This girl is insane. _"Hey, Garnet? I'm going to pass out now." Then she slumped against me and just passed out.

Well that was… different.

I pulled out my scroll, checking to see how much time we had until we had to meet up with the others. We were an hour late. _Might be a good idea to call Jaune. "Ya think? _Ruby's voice scolded in my head.

Instead of calling Jaune, I took the lazy way out. I just pressed the "distress" button, sending out a signal to the rest of my team.

"How is it that I always end up getting the crap kicked out of me?" With no answer in sight, I settled in against Velvet and closed my eyes, preparing for the wait ahead of us.

* * *

AN: And that ends chapter 11. Honestly, it's not my favorite end to a chapter, but it gets the job done. So, we've finally got to (and finished) the shenanigans in the Forest of Forever Fall. Hopefully you all are be able to guess what's next. If not, don't feel bad just keep reading. Now on to reviews.

Kaze-07 – First, no need to apologize. I'm happy to answer any questions you have. Second, your ideas about Garnet's "enraged mode" are pretty cool. I'm not sure if I can fit them in, but I'll see what I can do. So far, all I've decided is that it requires some sort of strong negative emotional response to activate. Finally, glad you like "Dragon Ball Syndrome". Use it whenever you want.

Frozen Fate – Good to hear from you again. I really appreciate you defending the artist's property, but I did give them credit when you brought that up the first time. As soon as I read your first review, I went back and credited lie-ren in the AN at the beginning of chapter 1 (since there wasn't any room in the summary). I'll say it again at the beginning of this chapter, just to make sure people see it.

Secondly, I do see your point about ways Goodwitch could have stopped Garnet when he was killing Cardin. Unfortunately, I didn't think of those at the time. To explain your sub-point about Garnet not exerting any effort when repelling Goodwitch's attacks, think about the early episodes of Naruto when Naruto goes into his nine-tails form. He performs incredible feats, but it isn't actually him. It's the nine-tails who's doing all the work. Garnet's enraged mode is the same deal; it isn't him, it's his aura that's doing all the work. Hopefully that explanation helps. I apologize if that's an unsatisfying answer, but I hope you can still enjoy the story.

That concludes the review section! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, honestly, I feel I could have done better but I'm not sure how. If you have any ideas how to make chapter 12 really enjoyable let me know. I'm always happy to listen to all of your ideas!

Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and Repeat.

-Ventusblade


	14. Announcement 3! Tired of these yet?

Hello all! Ventusblade here. For the third time I have to apologize for this not being a chapter. To be honest, I'm a little stuck on chapter 12. I have a vague idea of what's going to happen, but meh, we'll see what happens.

Speaking of what happens next, I need a some reader input. I asked a question in the edited version of chapter 11, but I'm not sure if anyone actually saw it. As such I set up a poll on my account page. The question I'm asking is "which character/characters do you want to be more prominent in the story?" I feel like I've been relying too heavily on Garnet and ignoring the other characters, but I don't think I can give all the characters the amount of screen time they deserve. So I'm letting you all decide, because I like being a nice guy (and because I'm rather lazy).

So here's how this will work. Simply go to my account page and click on the poll. There are 11 different characters to choose from and everyone who votes gets to pick their top 3. So get to it! Please?

Now I'll answer a question that I received.

-Angel625 - "Are Garnet and Velvet going to get together?" Only time will tell... Just kidding! (Slight spoiler for chapter 12, so read at your own risk!) I do really want them to get together and go on a date at the Vytal Festival. I've been planning that ever since I introduced Velvet as a main character. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the quiet ones. That being said THERE SHALL BE NO LEMONS! I'm keeping this thing T-Rated people. Anyway, to simplify my answer, yes.


	15. A Dying Rose

AN: Hello all, Ventusblade here. Sorry for the wait, I've been really busy with school and a little lazy. Anyway, the results of the poll are out and here they are.

Ruby – 10

Jaune – 7

Yang – 5

Velvet – 4

Ren – 4

Nora – 2

Blake – 1

Ozpin/Goodwitch – 1

Pyrrha/Weiss/Cardin – 0

Something else (not one of the choices) – 13

….Can anyone explain how something else, which was not even one of the choices I added, has the most votes? Oh well, I'll try to give Ruby and Jaune some more screen time, since I don't know any other major characters besides the ones I listed in the vote. Thanks to Petrol Oil and Ryan Roach for their help and advice.

* * *

(Velvet POV)

Garnet stood by my side, breathing heavily. "Velv, I can't hold out much longer." He suddenly dove right to avoid a giant clawed paw. The Ursa Major in front of us growled at its missed attack.

"Just keep fighting! I'm sure everyone else will be here soon!" I called out desperately, shooting dust at the monster.

Garnet got to his feet with renewed energy. "Alright then, we can probably manage until then. Lets do thi-" He voice was suddenly cut off by a strangled cry. Sticking out of his chest was the Ursa's paw. He looked down at his chest with a blank, uncomprehending expression before looking up at me. I saw pain and confusion in his eyes.

My eye's widened in horror and shock. "No…" The paw dislodged itself from Garnet, causing blood to spray out of the wound and Garnet to drop to his knees. I rushed forward, dropping my knives and catching Garnet in my arms.

"It's alright. I-I can heal this." I rushed to mend the wound, but Garnet's body was rejecting my aura. The harder I tried to heal the wound, the worse it got. The blood just kept flowing, covering both of us.

"I'm sorry Velvet," Garnet whispered, using his quickly depleting strength, "but this is as far I go."

"No! I'll heal this! Everything's going to be ok!" Tears were rushing down my cheeks as I feverishly tried to force my aura into Garnet's wound. It was no use. Garnet's eyes slowly closed and I lost him…

I just knelt there holding my dead friend in my arms, not comprehending what just happened.

"G-Garnet? That's not funny. C'mon get up! GARNET!" I violently shook Garnet by his shoulders, desperate to get any type of response. Of course, I wasn't ever going to get one. "Why? Why did this happen?" A giant shadow loomed overhead. The Ursa roared and began its final attack.

I sat bolt upright, a small cry escaping my lips. It took me a moment to get control over myself. I managed to calm myself down enough to look around.

_Where am I? _ I wasn't in the forest like I had expected. Instead I was sitting up in a white bed in Beacon's medical ward. Lying next to me was Garnet, who was in a bed similar to mine. He seemed fine except for the fact that he was unconscious and there were some bandages on both of his arms. I felt tears come to my eyes.

_It was only a dream. He's ok. _Even though I'd only known Garnet for a short time, the thought of losing him scared me to death. I silently got up and lied down next to Garnet, smiling at the peacefulness of his expression. Feeling a sudden burst of courage, I slipped my arms around Garnet, who continued to sleep peacefully.

"Please, don't ever die on me," I whispered before letting sleep take me.

* * *

(Jaune POV)

"Ren, you're sure that Garnet and Velvet were fine?" Team JGNPR was sitting in our room, waiting for dinner. It wasn't that long ago when we found Garnet and Velvet lying unconscious in the Forest of Forever Fall.

"Jaune please stop asking, you've asked twelve times already." Ren was reading a book for Grimm Studies as Nora was jumping up and down on his bed.

"He asked thirteen times, Reny."

"Nora, this might not be the time," Pyrrha pointed out. She turned to me. "Jaune, we're all worried and tired, but asking Ren the same question over and over again isn't going to make Velvet and Garnet wake up."

"I know that, but…" I felt responsible for what happened. I am the one who suggested that we all split up. "I'll be back later. Go to dinner without me." I left the room quickly before my teammates could question me.

I walked through the halls toward the medical ward. "Geez, Garnet spends way too much time there," I thought aloud.

"Where does Garnet spend too much time?" I jumped about a mile in the air, spinning around to see Ruby standing behind me.

"For the sake of dust! Make some noise when you move!" Ruby grinned mischievously.

"So where does Garnet spend too much time? Is it the balcony?" _Man I wish. How do I put this gently?_

"The infirmary." _Yup, real gentle._

Ruby looked more irritated than worried. I can't blame her, Garnet's been in the infirmary so often that he should apply for a membership. He might even get twenty percent off each time he visits. I pushed those thought aside for the time being. _C'mon Jaune, pay attention to the person standing in front of you._

"I assume you're going to visit him?" Ruby asked, already walking ahead of me. I nodded and hurried to catch up.

"So… Should we get him a medical ward membership for his birthday?" I grinned slightly at my own joke. Ruby just turned to me with a quizzical look.

"What?"

"You know, cause he…never mind." _He shoots, he hits the rim, it bounces back into his face._

* * *

Ruby and I walked into medical ward, and the nurse on duty immediately walked up to greet us.

"Hello Ruby. Are you here to visit Garnet?" _She knows Ruby by name?_

"Yup. Thanks Miss B." I looked at Ruby with one eyebrow raised. She just sighed. "I've had to come here a lot because of my brother."

Miss B directed us in the right direction, and we entered the back part of the medical ward. Both Ruby and I stopped very suddenly.

"Are they," I began, disbelief filling my voice.

"I think they are," Ruby assured me, irritation evident in her voice.

Lying there on the white bed were Garnet and Velvet, fast asleep. That wasn't really too bad, but Velvet had her arms wrapped tightly around Garnet, and their faces were mere inches apart. I felt like we were intruding on something exceedingly private.

"Should we come back later?" Ruby shook her head. She had a look in her eyes that told me that things were about to get hectic.

"No that's ok. I think it's time for the lovely couple to wake up." Ruby walked over to the bed and stuck her head right near Garnet's ear. "GRIMM!"

What happened next was almost too good to be true. Velvet, having highly sensitive hearing, jerked awake and tried to roll out of the bed while grabbing for her knives, which weren't there. However, one of her ears was stuck under Garnet, no doubt causing her immense pain when she tried to roll. At that same moment, Garnet also jerked awake, but smashed his head against the wall behind him. When he sat up clutching his head, Velvet's ear was freed and she fell to the ground with a loud "THUD". Garnet also ended up losing his balance, and fell off the bed landing on Velvet.

I was practically on the ground crying. Garnet and Velvet still had worried looks on their face as they searched for the nonexistent enemy. Ruby just had a satisfied smile on her face.

"Good morning you two. Care to explain what you were doing?" Ruby prompted.

"I was sleeping! This is why you can't get a boyfriend!" Garnet hissed, still clutching his head. Velvet on the other hand, was blushing intensely, guilt all over her face.

"Um, well you see," Velvet began, barely above a whisper, "I got scared and sat on Garnet's bed to calm down. Then I kind of fell asleep."

_That was surprisingly straightforward._

Garnet smiled light heartedly. "Were you scared that the moster was going to get you?" He joke poking Velvet in the nose affectionately. In the corner of my eye I saw Ruby's hands clench slightly.

Velvet looked down, refusing to meet Garnet's eyes. "No," she seemed on the edge of tears. "It didn't get me, it got you."

Garnet's smile faltered for an instant before he recomposed himself. "C'mon Velv, the monster can't get himself," Garnet reassured Velvet gently.

"Don't call yourself that!" Ruby screamed, trembling. Garnet fell silent, but Ruby wasn't finished. "Don't you dare make light of that!" It looked like Ruby wanted to say more, but she chocked up and ran out of the room.

"You idiot!" I punched Garnet with all my strength, sending him stumbling back into a wall. Velvet ran over to help Garnet up. _Why am I so angry?_ "You overheard Ruby and I that day, didn't you?" Garnet flinched, still troubled by what happened at the balcony. "You, of all people, should know how sensitive Ruby is about that entire thing regarding your memories and what you did!"

"I-I'm sorry," Garnet mumbled, staring at his feet.

"I'm not the one who wants to hear that! Go find Ruby!" Garnet began slowly madding his way to the door of the medical ward. "Run! That's an order from your team leader!" A second later all that remained of Garnet was a small cloud of black rose petals.

* * *

(Ruby POV)

I slammed the door to my dorm and flopped onto my bed, curling up in a ball. I fumbled around until I found my mp3 player, and pressed play. An acoustic version of Homesick by A Day to Remember began playing, drowning out my quiet crying.

_Everything around me seems so much different than where I'm from_, the music sang.

I laughed sadly. _Why did everything have to change? _I remembered the times before Garnet's memory returned. He, Yang, and I trusted each other with everything. Whenever we had a problem we went to each other first. But now, Garnet was distancing himself from us. He hadn't even trusted us enough to come to us when his memories returned. Instead he looked to Velvet for support.

_I should be happy that she helped Garnet, but all I just feel angry and betrayed._

I heard someone knock on the door, but ignored it, electing to remain curled up on my bed.

"Ruby, please open the door." Garnet pleaded, but I ignored him. "Ruby please let me in so we can talk this out."

"Now you want to talk?" My voice was shaking. "Why don't you just go talk to Velvet?" I knew I wasn't being fair, but I felt too awful to care.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Garnet shouted, anger rising in his voice. I flinched slightly, but didn't back off.

"You've been spending all of your time with her, so why did you even bother to come after me? You might as well just listen to what Cardin said and pretend that we're not related." I wished I could take back the words as soon as they left my mouth.

I heard Garnet punch the door, and saw a large crack form in the wood. A few dead rose petals made their way under the door. My heart leapt into my throat. _No, he promised that would never happen again. _My anger suddenly disappeared, only to be replaced by worry. I rushed to open the door.

Garnet stood in front of me, eyes downcast with a small cloud of dead rose petals surrounding him.

"Is that how you really feel?" Garnet asked in a voice that sounded almost dead.

"Garnet, I-" Garnet cut me off, before I could explain myself.

"No it's fine," Garnet said with a smile so sad and defeated that it almost stopped my heart. His hands were clenched in tight fists. "Now that I remember what I did, you're finally able to express how much you hate me for killing our parents." I wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that I didn't hate him, but I couldn't find my voice.

"I promise you'll never have to talk to me again…" The amount of petals around Garnet increased as he walked away to the dorm's exit. I was frozen in place, unable to move my feet. A loud crash jolted me out of my shock, and I ran to the noise. The double doors of the dorm had been blasted off their hinges and now laid on the ground, crushed beyond repair.

Beyond the doors, Garnet continued his slow retreat. Blood was running down the knuckles of his right hand and the petals began to dissipate. He suddenly stopped, flipped his hood up, and then disappeared using his semblance.

I stood in front of the dorm, staring at the place Garnet had been standing. All I had wanted was for Garnet to open up to me, for me to be able to comfort him. I felt tears in my eyes. "I'm no better than Cardin," I whispered before giving in to the sadness.

* * *

AN: Ok here it is. Man that was painful trying to sit down and write that. ADHD is a beautiful thing, am I right? Anyway, you all wanted to read about Ruby, so here that starts. I know I'm reverting to an old conflict, but I think it gets the job done. Especially since I never gave Ruby any closure with that. Now, on to reviews.

sUbSoNiCSoundwave – One, man your username is a pain to type, but it is pretty cool. Moving on, I assume you mean Garnet when you write Ruben. If so, yup I would ship that too, actually expect it eventually. Still, no lemons since I'm trying to keep this clean. I don't think Velvet will ever officially become part of team JGNPR, but she will join them from time to time.

Nape181 – There's a party? Is there cake? Please excuse the stupid joke. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you like the story and that you want more. Moving on to your question, I'm not sure how old Velvet is in the official show, but in my story Velvet is a second year student, so she's 17. Garnet is 15, and now that I'm writing this that sounds kinda creepy… Oh well, there's your answer.

Tanner Thompson - Sorry for not answering right away, for some reason your review didn't show up until now. I don't think I would add another OC for a few reasons. One, I don't think I'd be able to come up with a likeable character. Two, I have no idea how I would fit said character into the story. Three, I rather like the dynamics between the character as they are right now. However if I were to create another OC, it would be a female human named Olivia. Her weapon of choice would be chakrams; giant circles with blades at the edges which are usually meant for throwing, they're from India. Those chakrams would be able to fold into dust pistols and shoot bullet made of Olivia's condensed aura. OK maybe I'll have to add her eventually because answering this question has been really fun. Thank you for asking such an AWESOME question. Would you like it if I actually did add Olivia to the story? Tell me in a review or don't be afraid to shoot me a PM, I'm always happy to hear from you guys.

That's it for reviews. I know that I said that I would get to the events of episode 15 and 16, but may take a little longer than I anticipated, and I apologize for that. However that is still going to happen, I promise. Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and Repeat.

Your ADHD author,

Ventusblade


	16. The Death of A Rose

AN: Hello everyone. Here's chapter 13, hot off the press (keyboard?). Anyway, you guys wanted Jaune, and you're getting Jaune. Be sure to tell me what you all think. As usual, thank you to Petrol Oil and Ryan Roach.

* * *

(Jaune POV)

I was walking back to my team's room when I noticed Garnet sitting against the wall right outside of our room. He was holding his wilted rose emblem and Red Raven.

"What the dust?" I muttered. If I didn't know any better I'd say Garnet was about to break his emblem. I ruled that out almost immediately. _He'd never do that. That thing means the world to him._ Then Garnet started bringing his sword down on the metal rose.

I raced forward, kicking the blade off to the side. "What are you doing?!" Garnet didn't respond. His eyes looked almost dead, filled with heart shattering pain. _This isn't good_. "Doesn't that thing represent you bond with Ruby?"

"Why should I glorify a sham?" Besides that bond shattered long ago," Garnet declared softly, his hands shaking.

"Garnet, I think we need to-" he stood up and walked into our room before I could even finish my thought. "-talk." I sighed, pulling out my scroll to check which classes we had tomorrow. Team JRNPR was only scheduled for one class, Combat Theory.

"What could possibly go wrong?" I moaned sarcastically, following Garnet's lead.

* * *

"As many of you know," Professor Goodwitch began her lecture, "the Vytal Festival will be taking place very soon." Excited chatter broke out among the students, but Goodwitch snapped her riding crop, demanding silence.

"I hope all of you will participate in the battle tournament as representative of Beacon." She paused to let her passive aggressive comment settle in. "To prepare, we will hold a small mock tournament toady." Goodwitch pressed some icons on her scroll, causing the large monitor above the battle area to display the names of everyone in class. "When your name appears on the monitor, please come down to the arena."

The first to names to appear were Garnet Rose and Sky Lark, a scrawny kid with a punk rock mohawk.

I turned to Garnet, who was sitting beside me. He still had the same distant look from last night. "Garnet, please try to stay in control this time," I pleaded. He simply walked by me without showing any sign of having heard me.

Ren looked at me with one eyebrow raised questioningly. "Is he ok?" Nora and Pyrrha had also seen Garnet's and my small interaction, and were leaning in to be part of the conversation.

I shrugged in response to Ren's question. " When was the last time Garnet was ok?"

Nora looked at me with a disapproving expression, her usual cheerful smile gone. "Don't things like that about our friend." Nora was being uncharacteristically serious, which was actually kind of scary. I looked at the rest of my team, all of whom wore worried expressions.

_Of course, last time he was like this, Garnet almost killed someone then had an emotional breakdown. _"Should I stop the match?" I asked my friends.

"Did you notice any of those dead flower petals from before?" Ren inquired, his eyes drilling holes in me. I shook my head.

"He should probably be fin then," Pyrrha commented. "But if they come back we should stop the match before anything happens." We all nodded in agreement, then turned our attention back to the battle area.

The professor was getting ready to start, her weapon at the ready because of what happened the last time Garnet dueled. Garnet had only drawn one of his swords, his yellow one, and wasn't even in a battle stance. Sky on the other hand, was bouncing lightly with his weapons, which looked like brass knuckles, at the ready.

"Mr. Rose, I do not want to see a repeat of last time," Goodwitch warned. She glanced at my teammate one last time. "You may begin."

Sky had barely taken a step, but Garnet was somehow next to him with his sword up against the boy's throat.

"Yield," Garnet commanded, in a dull, forced voice. Sky put up his hands up and the match was over.

"What the hell just happened?" I heard someone behind me ask. _I wish I knew._

Despite my confusion, I smiled at my team. "He didn't lose it. That's good, right?" Pyrrha didn't return my smile.

"I suppose…" She sounded doubtful.

Garnet was in two more matches, each one ending in the same way as the first. Despite his win streak, Garnet showed no emotion, he just stood there waiting for his next opponent.

Then Ruby's name appeared on the screen.

"Maybe Ruby can drag him out of the mood he's in," Pyrrha suggested hopefully.

"We'll see soon enough," Ren pointed to the match that was about to start.

"Begin," Goodwitch directed.

Ruby shot forward, readying her scythe. Garnet remained frozen, his sword hanging at his side. Ruby continued charging, bringing her weapon around to strike her brother.

Garnet raised his sword lazily, almost as if he wanted Ruby's attack to connect. If that's what he wanted, he got his wish. Ruby's massive scythe barreled into Garnet's weak guard, lifting him off the ground and throwing him back a few feet. Garnet simply got back to his feet and halfheartedly threw his weapon at Ruby, who easily sidestepped it and charge another time.

Garnet met Ruby halfway as she was readying her weapon. He punched her blade, ignoring his other sword, but Ruby pushed him back again. The swordsman attempted another strike, and then another. On and on he tired to attack Ruby without his weapons, but was met with the same end each time. Finally, Garnet activated his semblance, disappearing in a cloud of rose petals.

Suddenly there was a loud "thud" followed by a sharp "bang", and Garnet reappeared lying on his side with his back pushed against a wall.

The room stared in a shocked silence for a matter of seconds, before the students broke out in laughter. "Did you see that? He just flat out tripped!" Someone laughed.

Ren frowned. "That wasn't a fight. Garnet was fighting in a way that hurt himself more that Ruby." I looked up at the monitor and noticed that Ren was right. Ruby's aura gauge was full, while Garnet's aura level was bellow half. I turned my attention back to the arena to see Ruby trying to help Garnet up. Garnet pushed Ruby's hand aside and walked back to his seat, pulling out a pair of headphones from a pocket and tuning out the world.

Soon the bell rang and class was over. I looked over to Garnet's seat but he had disappeared, like he always does when he's upset. I sighed and looked over at Ren.

"Hey Ren, would you mind coming with me? I think we need to talk to Garnet." I got up, waiting for Ren to follow. I didn't have to wait long.

"Right behind you." Ren then turned to Nora. "Nora, could you and Pyrrha just wait for us back at the dining hall for dinner?"

"Sure thing, Reny." Then Ren and I exited the classroom, and headed for the balcony.

* * *

Garnet wasn't at the balcony, which posed a bit of a problem. The balcony was Garnet's usual pace to relax. Now, Ren and I were left without any guess as to where Garnet was.

"Perfect, now what?" I groaned.

Ren thought for a bit before answering. "We might as well, just head back to the dorm. Garnet will have to show up eventually." I sighed, but followed Ren back to the dorm.

While passing through the area in front of the main building of Beacon, I noticed something red out of the corner of my eye.

Sitting on the edge of the landing dock, was Garnet. He was just staring out into space. I caught Ren's eye and motioned for us to join Garnet. Ren and I sat down next to Garnet on the landing dock, and I lightly patted his shoulder to get his attention. Instead of turning to me, Garnet just kept staring out at the open sky before us. I waved my hand in front of his face a few times, but that only made my arm tired.

"Ren, a little help here?" I asked as I continued to try and get Garnet's attention. Ren pulled out his gun blade and fired a single shot into the ground, causing causing Garnet to jump slightly. He took a slow look around, as if he didn't even know where he was. _Oh boy, this guy is takes out of it to a whole new level._

"Ren?" Garnet still seemed a little hazy. "What're you doing here?"

"Jaune and I decided that we need to talk. What's going on? You've been acting almost like you're dead." Ren put his hand on Garnet's should for support, and thankfully Garnet didn't brush it off like before.

"When someone's dead, they give up the things that made them human," Garnet began quietly, refusing to meet Ren's eyes. "In that case, I might as well be dead."

I was taken aback by Garnet's harsh words about himself. "Of course you're alive. You've got us and your family," I tried to reason, but Garnet just shook his head.

"What family? I murdered my parents and as far as my sisters are concerned, I'm already dead. Besides, a corpse can't have friends." Garnet's eyes didn't look dead anymore. Instead they were filled with pain.

Without a word, Garnet stood up on the edge of the dock, and began leaning forward. I realized what he was doing a moment too late. Thankfully Ren reacted quicker, grabbing Garnet's arm before he fell.

"What are you doing?!" Ren demanded urgently, pulling Garnet back to solid ground. Garnet collapsed into a seated position, and looked up at us with tear filled eyes and a broken smile.

"No one would miss me…"

"Ren, let's get him back to the dorm." I carefully draped Garnet's arm over my shoulder and started the slow trek back to the dorm. _He actually tried to walk off the sky dock,_ I thought in disbelief. It had only been a few days ago when Garnet had been smiling and relaxing with Velvet.

"Jaune, we're going to need to tell Ruby and Yang about this," Ren pulled me out of my thoughts. "It might be best if everyone's there."

I sighed, suddenly extremely worn out. "Yeah, you're right. Could you get everyone and head over to the balcony? I'll drop Garnet off at the room." Ren nodded in acknowledgement and broke out in a run.

"Well, should we go?" I asked Garnet. Of course I got no response. I sighed, continuing the walk back to the dorm.

I reached the dorm at laid Garnet down on his bed. "Please don't try anything while we're gone. Just wait for a bit and I'll come to get you." Garnet just grunted.

I left the room, quietly closing the door behind me. I stared out the window at the vibrant glowing moon that hung shattered in the sky. The image of Garnet trying to fling himself off the dock started playing back in my mind, and I gritted my teeth. _What happened that made Garnet try to kill himself? _ I silently wondered, shaking my head to dislodge the thought. _It's time to talk with Ruby and Yang._

* * *

And that's all she wrote for chapter 13. Well, I guess that's all HE wrote, considering I'm a guy. Anyway, I rather like how this is turning out, despite the fact that I haven't really planned anything for this part. On an unrelated note, has anyone ever seen the old show Spider Riders? I used to love that show, but rewatching I realize how awful the voice acting is. Anyone ever have those moments watching old shows? Well, I should probably stop rambling and move on to the reviews.

-ForrestHunt – I'm not sure how to respond to that. Um, thank you?

-Nape181 – NO! Don't get stabbed, I like having readers! Anyway, I made a mistake when I said that Velv is 18, she's actually only 17 (which isn't much better, but meh). Finally, I have decided that there is cake at this party, but it's digital so no one can eat it.

-sUbSoNiCSoundwave – Sorry that the ending made you cry, but that just become a point of personal pride. I've watched A LOT of Clannad and Clannad After Story so I have a feel for what makes a really sad or emotional scene. Moving on, Garnet going solo is an interesting idea, but I doubt it will happen. Also Velvet isn't a solo by choice, the rest of her team left Beacon. Anyway, thanks for the support!

It may take me a while to complete chapter 14, so I apologize in advance. I want that one to be really good, since I feel like the quality of my writing hasn't been as good as it should be (I'm a little self-conscious). All I'm going to say is expect an intense fight scene, although I don't know who it will involve.

Your instant ramen addicted author,

-Ventusblade


	17. Back From the Brink

AN: Hello everyone, Ventusblade here. I feel obligated to apologize. Why, you might ask? Because I lied. I couldn't think of any way to fit the awesome fight scene that I promised in to this chapter, so you'll have to wait a bit longer for that. For my uttering a falsehood I shall cut of my fingers! Not really, but I am sorry. Anyway, thank you to Ryan Roach and Petrol Oil, and a special thank you to Redeeming Endeavor, whose story "The Law of Proximal Attraction" gave me some much need inspiration. If you like funny Kingdom Hearts romance stories set in a modern day AU, you should read it immediately. And with that, ON TO THE CHAPTER (air horns sound in the background)!

* * *

(Garnet POV)

_So this is what real loneliness feels like, _I thought as I laid unmoving on my bed. There was no anger, no grief, there was nothing. All that remained was the numbing vacuum of oblivion. It felt as though my entire body had turned to ice, losing the ability to feel, well, anything. I wanted to cry, but the numbness wouldn't even allow me that small comfort.

I hadn't wanted Jaune to leave; I wanted him to be here next to me, trying to make me laugh with terrible jokes. I wanted Velvet to hold me in her arms and telling me that things would work out. But above all else, I wanted my sisters. If I could just hear them say "we don't blame you. It wasn't your fault", maybe I could get rid of this numbness.

My subconscious just laughed at me as it replayed Ruby's parting words. _"You might as well just listen to what Cardin said and pretend we're not related."_ That one sentence made me lose all hope of my sister accepting me. So I just continued to lay here. What else can an empty husk do?

* * *

(Ruby POV)

I watched anxiously as Jaune paced around the balcony. Despite being the one who called all of us to meet here, Jaune hadn't spoken a single word yet. So my sister and I, the other members of team JGNPR, and Velvet Scarlatina just sat silently, no one wanting to be the first to break the silence.

"So, blondy," Yang joked in an attempt to start any type of conversation. "Is there any particular reason why you called us up here?" Jaune visibly stiffened in response to Yang's innocent question. I noticed Ren nodding slightly to Jaune, who took a deep breath.

"So we're all aware that Garnet had been acting really…off for a couple of days, right?"

Everyone nodded, remembering those uncomfortable couple of days.

"But," Velvet meekly spoke, "I was with him about a day ago, and he seemed fine." I felt myself tense as resentment toward Velvet started filling my mind. _Of course she was with him_, I thought bitterly ignoring how childish that shounded. "Did-did something happen?

Jaune remained silent. The fact that he was hesitating to answer made my heart beat faster. "Jaune, what happened?" I asked, my voice an octave higher than I intended. Again, Jaune remained silent.

"Garnet tried to walk of the sky dock." All eyes flew to Ren. "I managed to grab him in time, but…" His voice trailed off, allowing a stunned silence to take over. I didn't want to believe what Ren said. Still, I felt like the ground beneath me was crumbling.

"Why?" Yang managed to ask, struggling to formulate the simple question on everyone's mind.

Ren bit his lip, as if debating whether or not to divulge a piece of information with us. Nora silently took his hand in her own, offering her friend support. Ren smiled slightly at his companion before speaking.

"I'm not sure if there was one specific catalyst. The last thing he said to Jaune and I was 'no one would miss me'."

At that moment, Jaune's eyes widened. "Why didn't I make the connection sooner?" He mumbled just loud enough for it to be audible.

"Jaune, whatever you know, please tell me," Yang begged, practically shaking.

When Jaune fixed his gaze on me, I wanted nothing more than to disappear from existence. I quickly looked away to avoid meeting his eyes.

"Ruby, what happened between you and Garnet?"

I felt the color drain from my face, and felt like I was going to throw up. I knew what Jaune realized, that what had happened between Garnet and me had caused my already damaged and fragile brother to shatter.

I shut my eyes as the world around me spun. "I-I said something horrible to Garnet," I managed to whisper. "I said he might as well pretend we're not related."

"You-you moron!" Velvet cried, straying from her usual quiet self. "You're his twin sister, but you don't even know what going on with Garnet, do you?!"

"And I suppose you do!" I shouted back bitterly. "Since he obviously tells you everything, why would he need me anymore?" A lump was forming in my throat as I spoke. "I only wanted to be with my brother, but he chose you." The lump in my throat grew steadily, threatening suffocate me.

Everyone silently watched my and Velvet's verbal brawl, unsure whether to intervene or to let things run their course. Before anyone could speak up, Velvet was yelling again.

"Garnet didn't choose anyone!" Velvet shot back, getting to her feet. "He was scared, scared that you would blame him, scared that he would lose more of his family. He didn't want to see you because he was terrified by what you'd say!" Velvet was standing over me without an ounce of fear or shyness. "And when he finally tried to talk to you, you told him that you don't even want to be related to him!" I looked up at Velvet, expecting to see anger painted across her face, but there was none. All I saw were drying tears and concern for my brother.

I opened my mouth to speak but no words came. I felt warm tears flowing down my face. "What am I supposed to do?" I didn't know how to fix my mistake. I had set out to help my brother, but I ended up hurting him so badly that he tried to kill himself. In a word, I felt pathetic.

"Go talk to him," Velvet softly encouraged me. I felt a surge of gratitude toward the older girl. No doubt she wanted to rush to Garnet's side just as badly as I do, but she was allowing me to try and make amends with Garnet first.

I stood up and hugged Velvet. "Thank you, and I'm sorry about how I acted before." Velvet seemed surprised by my sudden shift, but smiled and patted my shoulder.

"Just tell him that I'm really worried and that I want to talk to him." Velvet smiled as she gently disentangled herself from my arms. "Yang, could you please go with her?"

My older sister was already standing up and ready to go. "You think I'd let this one go alone?" Yang joked as she lightly nudged me and put a supportive arm around my shoulder. "Let's go little sis, our brother's waiting."

* * *

(Yang POV)

I stood outside of my little brother's room for a few seconds before finally turning to talk to Ruby. "Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked trying to sound confident. In reality that confidence was just a façade.

The possibilities that waited for us beyond that door were enough to make me want to turn around and run. What Garnet had done wasn't the same as a little kid threatening to "run away". He had tried to walk off a dock that was floating in the sky. What if he had tried something else while everyone was gone?

I forced those thoughts out of my head. _At least act brave for Ruby._ I took a deep breath and opened the door.

I quickly scanned the room, looking for any sign that might suggest something was amiss. Luckily I found none and stepped through the doorway with Ruby following close behind.

The first thing to catch my eye was an unmoving lump in Garnet's bed. I cautiously walked over and poked said lump. While the lump didn't move, Garnet's head suddenly appeared from under the blanket. I would have laughed at the hilarious image before me, but then I noticed Garnet's eyes.

Despite their grey color, his eyes were usually filled with a type of unique joyousness, but that was missing. What filled them instead was…nothing. There was no sadness, no pain, just a complete lack of anything. I felt a slight ache in my chest seeing my beloved little brother in such a state. _Remember why you're here._ I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to ignore the look in Garnet's eyes.

"Garnet? Can you hear me?" Garnet remained as still as the statue in front of the school. I could feel my brave front falling apart, but then Garnet nodded. It was barely noticeable, but I felt myself unclench my fist. _When did I make a fist? _I looked over to Ruby, who was still standing in the doorway as if a minefield was what awaited her in the room.

"Ruby, come over here," I called out. There was a slight shudder from under the covers and I noticed that Garnet had closed his eyes. Whatever was going on in his head was not happy.

Ruby slowly walked over to the bed, but was reluctant to sit down next to me. I caught her eye and gave her a silent signal to start talking. Ruby took a shaky breath, and began to talk.

"Garnet, I'm so sorry," Ruby said, trying to avoid looking at our brother. "I-I didn't mean what I said. I was sad and angry that you went to Velvet with you problems instead of me. I felt like you didn't trust me anymore. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you." Ruby paused, sneaking a glance at Garnet.

His eyes were still closed but I noticed something glimmering in the corner of his eye. "Y-you don't hate me for what I did?" Garnet's voice sounded small and weak, like a scared child. I bit my lip, resisting the urge to jump in and envelope my brother in a massive bear hug. As painful as it was to see Garnet like this, I needed to let Ruby talk to him. "I destroyed our family," Garnet said without any emotion.

Ruby finally sat down next to me, forgetting her earlier fear. "And how does hurting yourself fix our family?" Ruby said softly. "All that would do is hurt Yang and I even more. And don't forget about mom and dad in Vale."

I finally decided to speak up. "No matter what happens, all of us will always be here for you." Once I said that, Garnet's eyes opened. Instead of being hard and without emotion, his eyes held a softer look.

"You don't blame me?" Garnet asked in a small, forced voice. I couldn't hold myself back anymore. I pulled Garnet into a hug as I answered his question.

"Why would we blame you for an accident?" I felt Garnet's warm tears on my shoulder and felt him shaking lightly. After a quick glance, Ruby joined me and together we comforted Garnet as we waited for him to calm down.

After a few moments, Garnet lightly pushed away from Ruby and me. "Thanks. I really needed that," Garnet said while wiping his eyes. He still sounded a little weak, but it looked like he more like himself now.

Ruby flicked Garnet in the forehead. "You will never do anything like that ever again," she declared. Then without missing a beat, "you're joining my team for now. I want keep on eye on you for a bit."

Before Garnet could get a word in, I voiced my opinion. "This is not negotiable. Ruby and I are going keep watch over you for a bit. End of story." I smiled at the prospect of the three of us being together again.

"But what about my team?" Garnet asked, trying to find enough energy to get out of bed.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Velvet would fill in for you." After mentioning Velvet's name I remembered her request. "Oh yeah, Velvet wanted to talk to you. She was really worried."

I felt the bed shift and Garnet tried to hurl himself in the direction of the door. Unfortunately, he was completely drained from his whole ordeal and his legs gave out on him.

"Hey, calm down!" Ruby and I commanded in unison, rushing to pick Garnet up off the floor.

"I need to see everyone," Garnet insisted, attempting to get to his feet with no success.

I turned to consult with Ruby, but she just gave me the "little sister eyes". I sighed and leaned my younger brother against myself, grabbing one of his swords and handing it to him to use as a make shift cane.

"Let me be clear. We're going to the balcony for a **quick** visit," I put emphasis on quick. "Then we're going back to the room and you're going to sleep. Am I clear?" Garnet nodded and we began to slowly make our way toward the balcony.

* * *

(Garnet POV)

"Garnet!" Velvet exclaimed as she tackled me. If not for Yang, I would have lost my balance and fallen unceremoniously to the ground. I looked around to see all my friends grinning with relieved expressions on their faces. Well, everyone except Jaune. He had the look of someone who just lost a bet as he handed Ren twenty lien.

I chuckled. _Hasn't he learned not to make bets with Ren? _All the sets of eyes watching me pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Um, hi," I said awkwardly. What was I supposed to say? It's not like there's any protocol for confronting your friends after causing them immense amounts of stress.

"Hello!" Nora replied enthusiastically. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm not an unresponsive husk anymore, so I'd say I'm better," I answered with some difficulty on account of Velvet's tight grip. "Velv, could you let up a little?"

Velvet practically jumped back, a slight blush on her face. "Sorry," she quickly apologized. "Are you sure you're fine?" Velvet asked, unconsciously rubbing her ear.

"Never better," I assured her. A second later, a booted foot kicked my makeshift cane out from under me and I toppled over. I heard Jaune cracking up and Pyrrha scolding him, not to mention Yang's pitiful attempts to stifle her laughter.

"Not cool," I complained from the ground.

"So, never better, right?" Velvet teased, offering me a hand.

I sighed and accepted the help. "Maybe I'm a little tired." Yang wound up for another kick. "Ok, I'm more than a little tired!" I turned to face Yang. "Happy now?"

"Ecstatic, actually." Yang cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "I'll try to be quick since my poor brother is so tired," Yang joked. _Yup, I'm putting super glue in her gauntlets. _"Team RWBY's going to steal Garnet for a few days. Ruby and I want to make sure he doesn't try anything dumb."

"Sure, makes sense," Jaune nodded. "We can manage with four people."

"You might not have to," Ruby cut in. "Velvet, would you be against joining Jaune's team until Garnet joins them again?"

"I'd be happy to," Velvet replied without any hesitation. "But I'm going to keep my room, if that's ok."

Nora materialized behind Velvet, slapping her on the back. "Welcome aboard buddy!"

"Hey Nora?" I called to the overly energetic girl. "Go easy on her, alright?" Unfortunately for Velvet, Nora chose to ignore me.

Ruby grabbed my arm and began leading me back toward the dorm. "Let's head back and get you moved in."

"Have you even called Blake and Weiss to tell them about this?" I asked even though I could already guess the answer.

"Nope."

"Of course not," I muttered as Ruby continued to lead me. "Whatever, they'll be fine with it, right?" Ruby and Yang glanced at each other quickly, but didn't respond.

_What am I getting myself into?_

* * *

AN: And that's another chapter down! Sorry that I didn't keep this chapter going longer, but I want to be able to write a few more chapters (probably two or three) until I run out of events from season one. That being said, I do have some ideas about possible non-cannon events but I don't like them very much. So, if you guys have any ideas or anything that you want to read, write it in a review or shoot me a PM. I'm actually putting my hope on you guys for ideas to keep this story alive until season two begins. Now, on to the reviews.

-Darkblaze40 – I guess you're right. Oh well, sorry about that.

-Samurai Oscar – May I say that I love your name? Anyway, sorry about that small mistake, I should've checked which one had the mohawk before I posted the chapter. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll try to be more careful in future chapters.

-Nape181 – I noticed that when I went back to edit. That was actually unintentional, but I guess I've watched too much anime. Well, I'm glad that you're able to look past that and enjoy the story.

-Ryan Roach – What's up Roach!? Thanks for continuing to help me out with this. I'm trying to move away from the dark and creepy stuff, so tell me what you think. Thanks for the continued support!

-1samster – Hello little bro. Wow, you could've at least been more polite about that opinion. Yes, the story started out as a happy story, but adding some darkness makes it all the more gratifying when you get back to the happy stuff. Anyway, at least you like the story.


	18. What's So Great About Ninjas?

AN: Hello everyone, it's VB. Well, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. At one point, I was writing during class and started cracking up. Let's see if you can guess which scene I was writing. This chapter's all Garnet, since someone requested more of him. So whoever you are, I hope you enjoy this. Moving on, some of you may have noticed another story on my profile, "The Flower and The Monster". That's a collab Ryan Roach and I are working on. We'll post every other week, switching off who writes each chapter. I'm up next, so tune in for that. Now feast your eyeballs on the most fun chapter I've written.

* * *

(Garnet POV)

Imagine someone playing the violin for the first time. Now multiply that by five and you get what I was dealing with.

"Did you even consider how this might effect our team?" Weiss complained, referring to my presence. _Is she calling me "this"?_

"I was thinking about how this would affect my brother!" Ruby shot back, finally losing her patience. Honestly I was surprised that Ruby had been able to hold it together during Weiss' seven minute long tirade.

To be blunt, Weiss was less than thrilled about me being here. And so the dispute went on in a continuous loop. My head was already aching from the massive emotional strain I endured that day, and Weiss' screeching was not helping.

I calmly stoop up from Yang's bed, pulling Gale Force out of its sheath. I walked between the arguing girls and slammed my blade into the ground to get their attention. _I'll have to fix that later._ "Would you please stop yelling," I requested as politely as I could through gritted teeth. "You see, the funny thing about having tried to kill yourself is that the emotional trauma really hurts your head," I said trying to down play what I did. Regardless, Weiss' eyes widened. Apparently no one told her the whole story. "So please just keep it down and let me sleep this off." Having finished my point, I attempted to retrieve my weapon. Ironically, I was too exhausted to pull the blade out of the floor.

I ended up just taking the sheath off my belt and leaving it next to the weapon before returning to Yang's bed. _Someone will take care of it._ As I laid my head on the pillow I had two thoughts.

The first was "_thank you Yang for lending me your bed." _ The second was_ "I hope bringing up the supposed trauma won't come back to bite me." _

It did.

I woke up drenched in sweat, breathing heavily. For some reason I couldn't describe, I felt like a cornered animal. I reached for my sword, but someone had removed it while I was asleep. Without any weapon I felt completely defenseless, but from what? I didn't even know what I was trying to defend myself against.

Without thinking about what I was doing, I got up and left the room. I walked aimlessly around the halls before coming to a stop in front of Velvet's room. I pounded on the door, not caring if Velvet was trying to sleep.

The door flew open and I was met by an annoyed rabbit faunus in pajamas. "What the hell Garnet? It's one in the morning, can't it wait?" Velvet demanded in an irritated tone laced with sleep.

My expression must have been pretty crazed, because as soon as Velvet opened her eyes and got a good look at me, her whole demeanor changed. "Garnet, what's wrong?" She asked, worry prominent in her voice.

"Don't know," I panted frantically. Velvet pulled me into her room, wrapping her arms around me as she did so.

"Try to calm down. Everything's ok," Velvet whispered, trying to coerce me out of my panicked state. I could feel Velvet's gentle heartbeat against my chest and tried to match my breathing with the steady rhythm. Eventually, the panic released its hold on me. "Are you ok?" Velvet asked, gently extricating herself from the death grip I had unconsciously wrapped around her.

I quickly put my arms down. "Y-yeah. Sorry, I don't know what happened."

Velvet studied me, trying to determine whether or not I was actually ok.

I was almost positive that I was fine, but the thought of the panic returning made me doubt myself. "Do you think I could sleep with you tonight?" I heard myself ask. My face felt like someone set fire to it. "I-I mean, can I sleep in here? I'm scared of that happening again."

"S-sure," Velvet said, sparing me the embarrassment of pursuing my first question. She quickly went back to her bed and climbed in, attempting to hide the fierce blush on her face.

I spotted a chair with a decently soft looking cushion and flopped down in it. It was a little too small to comfortably sleep on, but I could make do.

"Garnet, isn't that uncomfortable?" Velvet was sitting up, staring at my cramped figure.

"It's not too bad," I lied as though she couldn't see me. However since she's a faunus she could easily see that I wasn't telling the truth.

I heard Velvet sigh. "Get in the bed." My brain struggled to process the sentence.

"Huh?" _Seriously!? "Huh"?_

"Just get in. I'd rather you be able to sleep." I complied, easing myself onto the bed and laying as close to the edge as possible. I tried to fall asleep with my back to Velvet. Within moments I could hear her breathing become more pronounced. The sound was incredibly calming and pleasant.

I snuck a peek over my shoulder. Velvet somehow looked both unkempt and serene at the same time. Her hair and ears were splayed out in a haphazard arrangement on her pillow, and her shirt was hanging low on one shoulder. Just a little more and I would be able to see… _No, perversion be gone! _

I smiled resisting the urge to reach out and stoke Velvet's ear. "Thank you," I whispered before letting sleep take me.

* * *

Someone was nudging my shoulder. "Garnet wake up."

I rolled over to shake off whoever was trying to rouse me. "Two more minutes," I moaned, keeping my eyes clamped shut.

"No, now," the voice demanded, pulling the pillow out from under my head.

I sat up, reaching for my stolen pillow. I saw Velvet sitting next to me, holding said pillow. "What?" I complained.

"You have to get back before team RWBY wakes up. I'm sure Ruby will be upset if she wakes up to find you gone."

My brain waited a second before comprehending Velvet's words. I then jumped up and sprinted toward the door. Realizing that I'd forgotten something, I turned around and hurried back to Velvet.

I gently wrapped my arms around my friend. "Thanks for helping me out earlier." I hesitated, then acting off instinct I leaned forward and kissed Velvet on the cheek.

I rushed back toward the hall, leaving a very stunned Velvet in my wake.

With the help of my semblance I made it back to my room in less than a minute. I quietly closed the door behind me, grinning at my successful stealth mission. Then I heard a book snap shut.

I froze, still facing the door. _Damn it, so close._ I turned around slowly, praying that Yang wasn't awake. Luckily, it was Blake who was fixing me with a suspicious look, a black covered book hugged close to her chest. "_Ninjas of Love"? What the hell?_

"Where were you?" Blake asked suspiciously.

"Um, bathroom?" I suggested hopefully. Blake's only reply was to point toward the bathroom door on the other side of the room.

_Crap. Quick, change the subject._ I turned to the only point of conversation that I could think of. "So you like ninjas?" Blake looked startled by my sudden, random question.

"How," she began, but then looked down at the book in her hands. She quickly tried to hide it under her pillow. I got the message. This was black mail level info. I grinned. _This could turn out to be a lot of fun._

"Let's agree that this never happened." Blake nodded, a mortified look spread across her face. I rolled under her bed onto Yang's. _Why on earth did they make bunk beds? I feel like I'm going to be crushed._

I glanced at the clock behind me. It was four in the morning, so I had about three more hours to sleep. I closed my eyes and was instantly transported to dream land.

* * *

_Oh yeah, sow me those shuriken again, Blake demanded._

I jerked awake, smashing my head against the underside of Blake's bed. _What does the universe have against my head?_

"What the hell was that?" That dream may have just scarred me for life. Had Blake seriously been trying to get it on with a ninja?

"Good you're up," Weiss noted. She was standing next to the bed, already dressed in her school uniform. "The others already left, so get ready. We're leaving for breakfast soon and then we have General History."

"Can't we just skip class?" I asked hopefully. Weiss gave me an exasperated sigh and a dirty look.

"I was hoping you would behave better than our leader."

"Hey I resent that. I'm MUCH better than Ruby," I joked with a wink. _Oh dust, Jaune's rubbing off on me._ Again, Weiss gave me a disdainful glare before stomping away to her bed. "You could have just told me that you don't like those kinds of jokes."

Weiss chose to ignore me, so I started putting on my uniform. Instead of the standard school blazer, I opted for the sleeveless vest that the school had also provided. The vest allows for more mobility and just looks better.

"So ready to go?" Weiss gave me a quick look over, as if inspecting my outfit. "W-what?" I asked, uncomfortable with the attention.

"Hmm, so you actually do have some style when you not wearing your dreadful hoodie," Weiss commented as she brushed past me into the hall.

"Thank you?" _Why do I feel offended by a compliment? _I decided to just accept the compliment, then started behind the white haired huntress.

A click echoed as the school PA system turned on. "Garnet Rose please report to headmaster Ozpin's office. That is all." There was another click followed by silence.

I sighed. _Looks like breakfast will have to wait._ Without a word, I turned around and started making my way to Ozpin's office. Weiss' voice stopped me.

"Do you want me to accompany you?" She actually sounded friendly.

I turned to face my new teammate with a teasing grin. "How sweet. Are you worried about me?" I'll admit that that was uncalled for, but I couldn't help myself. The young heiress had been nothing but unpleasant so far.

My comment earned me another peeved glare from Weiss, who was in the process of abandoning me in the hallway. I reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Sorry, that was uncalled for," I apologized attempting to make amends for my previous action. "What I meant to say was thank you, but no. I don't want to keep you from breakfast. I'll just catch up later, so don't worry about it."

Weiss softened slightly, grateful for the apology. "Alright. Just don't do anything stupid."

I flashed her my best smile. "Who, me?"

* * *

"Hello Mr. Rose." Ozpin sat behind a large maple desk with papers scattered all around. On the walls hung a plethora of awards and diplomas. Psychology, Grimm Studies, and a number of doctorates in other fields added to Ozpin's intimidating presence. The professor sat silently, glasses positioned on the bridge of his nose and a coffee mug in hand, as he waited for me to take a seat across from him. I sat, trying to ignore his green eyes that were staring holes through me.

"Do you know why I called you here?" I shook my head silently and shifted in my seat uncomfortably. I hate being the center of attention, especially with teachers.

"In that case, allow me to show you." Ozpin pulled out a scroll and began playing various video clips. The first clip was of a kid in a red hoodie who was dueling. He was surrounded by black rose petals, and was mercilessly attacking his opponent. My brain made the connection. _That's me._ I winced remembering that dark afternoon. The next video began right after the first ended. Again, I was watching myself on the screen. This time I was on the balcony, collapsed in pain and clutching my head, crying out the whole time. The image changed again, showing me getting beat around the school's dueling arena by Ruby. Finally, I saw myself trying to walk off the sky dock.

The headmaster shut off the scroll. "Usually I prefer that teammates support each other through hardships, however you latest action has convinced me to intervene."

"Am I going to be expelled?" I ventured, my palms slick with sweat. I did not want to be forced to leave Beacon no matter what.

Ozpin glanced over his glasses at me. "Would you like to be?"

"No," I affirmed forcefully.

"Then no, you will not be expelled." Ozpin said calmly, as if he was mentioning that he wanted more coffee instead of discussing my immediate future. "I would like for you to come to check in with me every so often. If you try anything similar to yesterday's stunt, I will have Glynda keep watch over you." I shuddered. I wouldn't last a day with her.

"Thank you professor." Right as Ozpin was about to say something else when my stomach growled, interrupting the professor.

He allowed a small smile onto his face. "You may leave. Unfortunately breakfast has already ended, but take this." Ozpin tossed me an apple. "Now, you'd be well advised to get to class." I got up to leave. "Oh, and Mr. Rose," I turned back to the headmaster, my hand already on the doorknob. "Next time ask me before you decide to switch teams."

* * *

I walked into General History as Dr. Oobleck was beginning his lecture.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Rose." Dr. Oobleck still spoke like the energizer bunny on caffeine, but I'd had him for long enough to be able to understand most of what he said. It was almost the same as trying to catch everything Nora says.

"Sorry Dr. O," I apologized, munching on my apple as I took a seat next to Blake.

The doctor continued his lecture, unfazed by my interruption. "Who can tell me what the White Fang is?" Dr. Oobleck asked the class. Blake raised her hand. "Yes Miss Belladonna?"

"The White Fang is a group lobbying for equality for faunus (AN: apparently that is the plural of faunus). In recent years they have become more radical."

"More like criminal," Weiss muttered hostilely. I noticed Blake's grip on her pencil tighten at the comment.

"Correct. Recently the White Fang has abandoned their peaceful protests, instead turning to violence, and possibly organized crime, however the later is only speculation," Dr. Oobleck explained.

Weiss released and angry humph. "It's not speculation it's fact. Those low lifes." Blake's pencil snapped in between her fingers.

I raised my hand, interrupting the lecture a second time. "Professor, I think Blake isn't feeling well. May I take her to the medical ward?" Blake gave me a confused look, which I ignored.

"Yes, of course. Now, moving on…" I grabbed Blake's hand, practically dragging her out of the lecture hall.

I took Blake back to the dorm and sat her down. Her hands were balled in tight fists and her face was pale.

"First of all, you had a head ache. That's our story and we're stickin' to it." I didn't even get a smile from the bow-wearing girl. "Blake, what's up? You reacted really strongly to those things Weiss said." Blake shut her eyes.

"It's something about myself that I don't like to talk about."

I chuckled. I didn't mean to, but it just slipped out before I could stop myself. Blake's eyes flicked open as she stared at me angrily. "Not liking something about yourself… Yeah, I know a bit about that." The smiled I attempted was more filled with sadness than anything else.

The anger in the older girl's eyes dissipated. "Sorry."

"Don't be," I assured her, dropping the failed smile. "I just don't want you to go through what happened to me." I stared at the usually reserved and quiet huntress. "My only job is to be there for my friends, and that includes you."

"I'm sorry. I can't talk about it," Blake whispered, her face contorted in a miserable expression.

I sighed partly in frustration. _What do I have to do to help this girl?_ Then inspiration struck like a bolt of lightning. Without Blake noticing, I reached under her pillow and pulled out the book she had been reading last night. I opened Ninjas of Love and began reading.

"The ninjas' lips locked on one another," I began. "Undressing each other…" I read ahead a few lines before shutting the book. "Nope, I'm done. I tried, but that is just disgusting." Blake snatched the book from my grasp.

"Leave that alone!" Her cheeks were as red as my hoodie.

"How can you read that? I've had to sit through Ruby's romance novels, and that's not romance. That should be called Fifty Shades of Black." I wanted to burn my eyes out to erase what I had just read.

"Sh-shut up!" Blake hugged the book protectively. "I like it."

I unbuttoned my white dress shirt, grabbed my katanas, and started posing. "Do you like this too?"

Blake kicked me in the side of the leg. "You're an ass," she huffed, stifling a laugh.

Game, set, and match. "Yeah, but you're not upset anymore are you?" Blake looked surprised but shook her head. "And that's one point for Garnet," I declared happily, grabbing for my weapons' sheathes. I turned around and my heart stopped.

Standing in the door way were Yang, Ruby, and Weiss, all with their mouths slightly agape. To them, this must have looked really weird.

"Are we…interrupting something?" Yang asked slowly, probably deciding whether or not to just turn around and leave. Ruby and Weiss stood behind Yang, equally confused by the scene before them.

"No, not at all," I said nonchalantly, ignoring the fact that my shirt was still unbuttoned. "Blake and I were just discussing the Sengoku era." Well, it wasn't a complete lie. Ninjas are from the Sengoku era of Eastern history, you just don't study how they got freaky.

"We're going to the Vytal Festival," Weiss said slowly. "Are you two coming or are you," she paused, struggling to find the right word, "busy?"

Blake stood up from the bed and walked toward the door, trying to ignore the awkward atmosphere in the room. "We'll come." I winced. _Bad choice of words._

It occurred to me how I could explain why shirt was unbuttoned. "Are you guys planning to go in your uniforms?" I asked as I took off my shirt and put on a black v-neck I found lying near my bag. "Blake and I were about to head over, but we wanted to change first."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Ooookay. We'll leave in ten minutes. Garnet, you change in the bathroom, and don't come out until we say so." I followed Yang's directions, grabbing a pair of cargo pants and my skate shoes before heading into the bathroom. As I closed the door I heard Yang ask, "The Sengoku era? Why the dust would you two have been talking about the Sengoku era?" _I'd love to hear Blake's answer._

* * *

"Oh this is absolutely wonderful!" Weiss exclaimed as she happily surveyed the festival.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss." Ruby declared. "It's kinda weirding me out." I unsuccessfully tried to suppress a snicker.

"How could you not smile?" Weiss demanded. "A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world. There will be dances, parades, a tournament. Oh the amount of planning that goes into this event is simply breath taking," Weiss gushed.

I could only stare in disbelief. "We're at one of the most fun events of the year and you're focused on planning?" I could only shake my head at the misdirection of the heiress' excitement.

"You really know how to take a good thing and make it boring," Yang agreed. Our group followed behind Weiss as she expertly lead us through the packed streets. For some reason we were getting farther and farther away from the main part of the festival.

"You know that the food is in the other direction, right?" My stomach was demanding food, and I had no problem with giving it what it wanted.

"We're not here for food," Weiss scolded. _Well, why not?_ "I heard that a ship from Vacuole will be arriving today and as a representative of Beacon, I feel it is my duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom." Weiss finished her excuse as we reached the docks.

"She wants to spy on the competition so she'll have an upper hand in the competition," Blake translated.

"You can't prove that!" Weiss immediately began denying Blake's accusations. I sighed. Someone has to teach Weiss how to deny things properly.

"No, but you just did," I pointed out. I noticed Ruby hanging back from the rest of the group. "What's up Rube?" She was staring at a dust shop that had its front window smashed and police tape around its front.

"Let's check it out." Ruby said as she walked toward the ruined store. I shrugged, following my twin sister to what was obviously a crime scene. The rest of the group followed our lead. "What happened here?" Ruby asked the two police that were inspecting the exterior of the shop.

"Robbery. Second dust shop this week," the cop said bitterly.

"That's awful," Yang said in a hushed tone. Having nothing to say, I just stayed back as the girls crowded around the shop.

"They left all the money again," the second cop informed his partner. _What kind of thief leaves all the money? _"It just doesn't make any sense," the cop continued. "Who needs that much dust?"

"Maybe an army? You thinking the White Fang?" The first cop suggested. I glanced nervously at Blake when the cop mentioned the equalist group. The second cop just shrugged.

"I'm thinking we don't get paid enough."

"The White Fang, what an awful bunch of degenerates," Weiss fumed.

Blake couldn't take any more of Weiss' negativity toward the White Fang. "What's your problem?"

"What's my problem?" Weiss repeated in disbelief. "I just don't care for the criminally insane."

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a group of misguided faunus," Blake corrected.

"Misguided? They want to wipe humanity off the face of the earth!"

"So they're very misguided!" Blake shot back.

"Blake does have a point," Ruby spoke up. Blake gave Weiss a triumphant smile. "Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into. Maybe it was him," Ruby suggested in an attempt to end the argument.

Weiss wasn't satisfied yet. "That doesn't change the fact that the White Fang is scum. All those faunus know how to do is lie and steal." She said the word "faunus" as if it was an insult. My thoughts turned to Velvet and Leon, and I felt my blood boiling at Weiss' words.

"Weiss!" I shouted, causing everyone to jump in surprise. I felt myself trembling with rage. "Velvet is a faunus, my dead father is a faunus. You're entitled to your opinion, but I will not let you say anything about faunus as a whole. If you say anything like that I will take it as a personal insult against Leon." I felt a tingling sensation around my hand and looked down to see a dozen dead rose petals orbiting my hand. I quickly shoved my hand in my pocket, praying that no one noticed.

"Hey! Stop that faunus!" A voice cut through the silence. My sister's team rushed toward the noise, but I trailed behind. My thoughts kept turning back to Weiss' inadvertent insult toward faunus, and by the transitive property, Leon.

"Hey, a no good stowaway would have been caught. I'm a great stowaway!" That voice sounded familiar, but why would HE be here?

My suspicions were confirmed when a boy with a monkey tail, spiky blonde hair, and tan skin jumped up onto the sidewalk above the dock. He was wearing an open loose-collared white jacket revealing a golden chain around his neck, two red wrist bracers, blue khakis held up by a white belt with a chain hanging off his right side, and a pair of yellow striped sneakers.

He ran from the police at top speed, only slowing to give Blake an almost invisible wink. _What's Sun doing here?_ _Does he know Blake?_ There was only one way to find out. I started to jog, but quickly turned up the speed. At a full out sprint I activated my semblance. The petals around my hand moved to my legs and I gained a burst of speed. The rush was like nothing I'd ever felt before, it was like moving at the speed of light.

I was gaining on Sun when the petals around my legs disappeared. Without the extra help, I lost control. To make matters worse, there was a girl in my way. I think it was a girl but it was hard to tell, everything looked blurred. I spun, avoiding the girl, but slamming into an inflatable castle. I bounced back a good fifteen feet, before coming to a sliding halt on the ground. Looking up, I could see Sun jumping through the rooftops. I groaned, half in frustration and half in pain.

I heard a thud, and Weiss' voice. "He got away." _Thank you Captain Obvious. This is Sergeant Sarcasm at your service._

I got up, tenderly feeling my back. Aside from my hoodie being shredded, a few bruises, and a small scrape on my leg, I was fine. I walked over to join everyone else. Weiss was lying on top of the girl I had nearly flattened while the rest of the team stood behind her. Weiss noticed the girl and shot up to her feet with a small gasp. However the girl remained on the ground.

The girl had curly orange hair ending a bit before her shoulders, a pink bow in her hair, and freckles. She was wearing a blouse/overall combo with a strange black and green collar like object around her neck.

"Would you…like to get up?" Ruby asked the strange girl.

The girl thought for a moment before replying. "Hmm. Yes, I would." She rolled back slightly and launched herself to her feet using her arms. "Hello, my name is Penny."

"Um, hi." Ruby said politely. "I'm Ruby. The guy over there is Garnet. The people next to me are Weiss, Blake, and Yang." Ruby motioned as she introduced each of us.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Yang asked, staring at the strange girl apprehensively. _Has Yang considered a career in politics, because that was as diplomatic as it gets._

"Sorry, to cut this meeting short, but I'm gonna go," I declared. "I'm a little tired. See you all back at the dorm." And with that I headed back to the school, leaving the rest of my team to deal with our new aqaintance.

* * *

While everyone was out, I had taken it upon myself to move my mattress into team RWBY's room. I was really eager to get back to my own team, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen any time soon. So I was just as happy to be lying on my own mattress, enjoying the peace and quiet.

"I don't understand why this is such a problem," Weiss huffed as she entered the room with the rest of the team.

"That's the problem!" Blake countered. Had they been arguing ever since I left? That takes serious endurance.

"Do you realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you?" _Weiss please shut up. I will do your homework for a week if you just shut up and drop it._

"And why do you think they hate humanity? It's because of people like you, people like Cardin." It seemed that Blake had no intention of dropping the argument either.

"Blake," I began, sitting up. Apparently no one had noticed me lying at the foot of Yang's bed, because they all jumped at my voice. "Could you not mention the guy I almost killed? I still feel a little guilty about that, even if he was a racist jerk. And don't you think this has gone on long enough?"

"No, it hasn't!" Weiss burst. "The White Fang has been at war with my family for generations. I'm talking about actual bloodshed. I saw friends and family disappear one after another, board members executed, and large shipments of dust stolen. And every day, my father would come home furious. That made for a very difficult childhood." Weiss was silent for a moment before speaking again. "The White Fang is nothing but a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" The entire room was still, and the temperature seemed to plummet. Blake's words ripped through my head like a hurricane. _Don't jump to conclusions. Just calm down and get her explain things. Don't let this go the same way it went for you. _Blake bolted from the room.

"Wait!" I sprinted after her, leaving behind my silent and stunned teammates.

I managed to keep Blake in my sights as she sprinted aimlessly. She was head to one place, away. Luckily for me she stopped in front of the statue in the front of the school. Blake reached for the bow on her head and began to pull the knot apart. The black ribbon fell to the ground, revealing a pair of cat ears.

Blake's words rang in my ears. "_It's a part of me I don't like to talk about." _Now those words made sense. While I could hide my grief deep inside myself, Blake didn't have that luxury. Her grief was right on top of her head for the world to see.

* * *

AN: Holy crap that was long! 5,073 words! Once again, no awesome fight, but I don't want this chapter to go on any longer. Anyway, this chapter was almost identical to episode 15 at the end, but I think it's best that way, don't you? Anyway, just a friendly reminder to send me non-cannon events and things you want to write. I NEED THOSE! We're running out of cannon plot, so I could really use some help thinking of more material. Now, let's answer some reviews!

-Darkblaze40 – I really hope Nora doesn't kill Velvet. That would throw a monkey wrench in my plans.

-Ryan Roach – S'up dude? I'm glad you liked the super glue in the gauntlets joke. I'll try to finish chapter two of "The Flower and The Monster" as soon as possible, don't forget to shamelessly promote it (hint, hint, wink, wink).

-Nape181 – I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you like this one just as much. I really wanted to write some fun scenes and this chapter was a successful mission. My personal favorite is when Garnet reads "Ninjas of Love". That was from personal experience. Please don't ask. Send me those ideas. I'd love to hear them.

Until next time,

Ventusblade


End file.
